{"id":312269,"date":"2025-11-22T22:55:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T22:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/uncategorized\/id-rather-stop-watching-youtube-than-upload-my-id\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T22:55:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T22:55:53","slug":"id-rather-stop-watching-youtube-than-upload-my-id","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=312269","title":{"rendered":"I’d rather stop watching YouTube than upload my ID"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"google<\/picture>\n
\n

Taylor Kerns \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

YouTube has been gradually expanding its AI age-estimation operations<\/a> in the US over the past few months. It started in July, with the announcement that the platform would require users who didn\u2019t seem sufficiently adult to verify they\u2019re over the age of 18 before accessing all of what the platform has to offer. This month, yet more users<\/a> got caught in YouTube\u2019s age verification net.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I\u2019m on YouTube a lot: There aren\u2019t many other places where I can get world news, live music performances, video game reviews, and in-depth explainers on how air conditioning works all in one spot. But YouTube\u2019s invasive age estimation and verification practices are part of a troubling and growing trend \u2014 one that could drive me off the platform entirely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"google<\/picture>\"google<\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Papers, please<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\n

If YouTube\u2019s systems guess that you\u2019re under the age of 18, it\u2019ll turn on restrictions that prevent you from seeing certain types of content on the platform. YouTube uses a pretty wide variety of signals from across your Google account, including the age of your account, the types of searches you\u2019re making, the types of videos you\u2019re watching, and which apps you\u2019ve downloaded, to make this estimation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Certain types of content aren\u2019t allowed on YouTube at all, but plenty of what YouTube does offer is easy to categorize as inappropriate for kids. The platform doesn\u2019t expressly forbid all content that contains violence, nudity, dangerous stunts, or profanity, and typically flags those types of videos as being adult-oriented, hiding them from accounts owned by minors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But YouTube\u2019s age estimation system seems prone to false positives. Reddit is chock<\/a> full<\/a> of<\/a> reports<\/a> of YouTube erroneously flagging adult users as minors and slapping content restrictions on their accounts. To lift these restrictions, users must verify their age to YouTube. You can do that by uploading a copy of a government ID showing your age, supplying a selfie for age analysis, or turning over details for a credit card with your name on it. Many users who\u2019ve been faced with the choice are uncomfortable handing over any of this information, and I don\u2019t think they\u2019re wrong in that feeling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Has YouTube asked you to verify your age?<\/h3>\n

353 votes<\/p>\n