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YouTube is going to start using machine-learning to determine if viewers should be on an account for teens. The companystated that it plans to use this AI application in the coming weeks on a subset US users for a trial, before rolling it out to other markets. The tool will evaluate user behaviors, including the types and categories of videos searched for as well as the length of time the account has been active. YouTube will disable personalized ads, activate digital wellness tools, and add other safeguards to its younger users when a machine learning algorithm determines that an account belongs to a teenager. YouTube has added protections to its younger users since introducing monitored teen accounts 2021. The company stated that it has been utilizing this machine learning approach. “in other markets for some time, where it is working well.”
YouTube, however, is not the only service that uses an AI tool to catch people who may be lying about their ages. It’s up to its users to correct false positives: “If the system incorrectly estimates a user to be under 18, they will have the option to verify that they are 18 or over, such as using a credit card or a government ID.” Meta has a similar tool. It began rolling out across Facebook Messenger and Instagram earlier this year.
