PSA: YouTube will start guessing your age from today

YouTube will start rolling out its new AI-powered age estimation system in the US beginning today, August 13. First announced last month, the feature uses artificial intelligence to determine whether a user is likely under 18, based on factors such as their viewing habits, YouTube search history, and how long their account has been active. This process applies to all YouTube accounts, regardless of the birthdate entered during sign-up.

If YouTube’s AI concludes you’re under 18, you’ll receive a notification informing you of the same. You can dispute this by verifying your age through a government-issued ID, a selfie, or a credit card.

For accounts flagged as belonging to teens, YouTube will automatically enable its age-appropriate features, which include:

• Showing only non-personalized ads
• Turning on digital wellbeing tools like “take a break” and bedtime reminders by default
• Displaying privacy reminders when uploading videos or posting public comments
• Reducing recommendations for videos that could be problematic if watched repeatedly

And has been YouTube’s rule for years, you must be 18 or older to view age-restricted videos.

Why are users pushing back?

While YouTube intends to protect young viewers, some users haven’t taken well to its new age estimation efforts. Many worry the system might label them as teenagers based solely on certain viewing patterns.

“I let my cousins’ kids watch some of their shows when I’m babysitting them, and I don’t care to give my ID to YouTube, especially since I have had a Google account for like 20 odd years now,” a user noted on Reddit.

However, YouTube previously confirmed that watching too many Roblox videos may not be a problem.

“Pokémon, Minecraft, Anime, and Roblox are for everyone! We understand that users on YouTube have a variety of interests. Our age estimation model does not look at one form of content in isolation to determine if an account is under the age of 18. The model assesses many different signals to reach this determination, including but not limited to YouTube activity and longevity across a user’s account. It is not focused on any specific genre or type of video,” the company had said.

Others are uneasy about uploading government IDs to prove their age and are worried about privacy.

“With this rise of AI and increased demand for users’ personal information, I truly believe that the internet will be so fundamentally different in 5 years that parts of it will simply become broken,” a user wrote on

YouTube emphasizes that ID submission is optional, and those who opt out can still use the platform with the standard teen protections applied. Teen accounts can access most content on YouTube, except for age-restricted videos containing excessive violence or nudity.

Meanwhile, the new verification system doesn’t seem to affect users watching YouTube without signing in, a workaround some are already considering to avoid the AI checks.