Google Public Policy reposted this
Google | head of global privacy, safety, and security - Government Affairs and Public Policy
Excited to share a new update from Google and YouTube: we will start rolling out age estimation to a subset of users in the US -- using machine learning to estimate whether users are over or under 18. See details here: https://lnkd.in/enQCjDhM The north star has always been to deliver age appropriate experiences - treating teens like teens and adults like adults. So, when we estimate that a user is under 18, we apply protections including (among many others): ✔️ Turning on key digital wellbeing tools on YouTube ✔️ Adding safeguards to YouTube content recommendations, including limiting repetitive views of some kinds of content. ✔️ Disabling personalized ads ✔️ Restricting age-sensitive ad categories. ✔️ Preventing access to apps restricted to adults on Google Play. Age assurance is one of the most complex and nuanced issues that the child safety community is wrestling with today. Delivering on the goal -- while respecting privacy and access to information -- is no simple task. This is why it's been important that our model does not require additional data collection, and why we provide options to correct age estimations where needed. Families trust Google and YouTube to provide a safe and enriching experience, and we’ll continue to invest to protect their ability to explore safely online. Proud to be one among many amazing teams--including incredible product and technical teams--that have made this a reality. More here as well: https://lnkd.in/egq-v65B