KEY POINTS
- The AI uses machine learning to estimate users’ real ages based on behaviour and video viewing patterns
- If flagged as a minor, users must verify their age through ID, credit card, or selfie scans
- Australia is set to ban users under 16 from YouTube and other social media platforms
- Pakistan’s National Assembly called for stricter laws to combat online offences
ISLAMABAD: In a step to safeguard young users, YouTube has begun using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect when children are pretending to be adults on the platform – part of a growing effort to shield minors from age-inappropriate content.
Shield for young viewers
Under increasing pressure from regulators and child safety advocates, the Google-owned video giant is rolling out the new AI-powered safeguard in the United States.
The move comes amid a wider crackdown on Big Tech by governments around the world concerned about children’s exposure to adult content.
Using machine learning, a type of AI that improves over time, YouTube’s systems will now estimate a user’s real age based on behaviour — including the type of videos watched and how long the account has been active.
“This technology enables us to estimate a user’s age and apply that information — regardless of the birthdate listed on their account — to provide age-appropriate experiences and protections,” said James Beser, YouTube’s Youth Director of Product Management, as quoted by AFP.
What you watch
YouTube’s enhanced age-estimation model builds on its existing safeguards. Even if a user lists a false birthdate, the AI will flag accounts where the viewing patterns don’t match the claimed age.
If YouTube’s system identifies someone as a potential minor, the user will be prompted to verify their age using a credit card, selfie scan, or government-issued ID.
The Australian crackdown
The US isn’t the only country turning up the heat. Australia is leading the charge globally with some of the strictest proposed regulations to date.
Australia’s Communications Minister Anika Wells recently announced that children under 16 will soon be banned from YouTube under Australia’s landmark social media legislation, set to take effect on December 10.
According to Wells, 40% of Australian children reported exposure to harmful content on YouTube. “We must shield them from predatory algorithms,” she said, highlighting the urgent need for reform.
The legislation also targets other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, aiming to raise the minimum age to 16 across the board.
At the beginning of August, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed a resolution highlighting rising concerns over the misuse of social media platforms.
The resolution called on the federal government to strengthen the legal framework to effectively tackle a range of online offences.
Lawmakers advocated for the enforcement of stricter penalties against unauthorised video recording, cyber harassment, and digital defamation, stressing the urgent need for robust safeguards in the digital space.
YouTube pushes back
YouTube, however, maintains that it’s not a social media site, emphasising its role as a video-sharing platform with a growing audience on TV screens.
“Our position remains clear,” the company said. “YouTube is a video-sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content. It’s not social media.”
