YouTube viewers across the pond are set to face some major restrictions from this week and it's clear that people are far from happy with the changes.
The popular video-sharing site, which reportedly boasts 2.53 billion monthly active users, has started rolling out a new age estimation system, which is powered by artificial intelligence, amongst its US users.
In short, AI is employed to determine whether an individual is under 18 or not - even if their connecting Google account says otherwise.
It works by analysing account age, viewing history, search terms, and video categories to make the decision.
What happens if AI determines you're underage?
Anyone flagged by the AI system as being underage, whether they are or not, will see restricted content on the social media site.
Advert
They will also have wellbeing tools enabled, lose personalised ads, and be shielded from allegedly 'problematic' videos.
The only way around such an issue is by presenting the AI with an official government ID or credit card so you can properly verify your age.
Backlash to the AI system
Upon catching light of the new system rollout, many YouTube users rushed online to push back against it.
Advert
One X user declared: "This raises some serious concerns about privacy and potential misuse of AI."
"The moment YouTube asks for my ID is the moment I stop using YouTube," slammed a second, while a third echoed: "I'll be cancelling my Premium subscription!"
A fourth lamented: "This will not end well."
Advert
"The beginning of the end," worried another.
And a final, very disgruntled, X user hit out: "I’m not trusting a company with my personal information that if a data breach were to happen, I would be f*cked along with everyone else.
"Then all of our personal information just gets out to the public instead of parenting the f*cking Internet because actual parents can’t do their f*cking job being a parent.
"How about nobody under the age of 18 should be able to be on the Internet or take it a step further, how about nobody under the age of 21?
Advert
"Why should everyone else be punished? And give up our personal information."
'Data control'
A Change.org petition has even been launched, which has nearly 100,000 signatures, with the creator issuing a harrowing warning over intrusive AI monitoring.
Advert
"This system analyses your entire watch history and behaviour… If the system thinks you’re underage, you’ll be locked out of content unless you upload your government-issued ID, putting your personal information at serious risk," it reads.
"Once these systems are normalised, they rarely go away, they expand…This isn’t just about age restriction. It’s about mass surveillance and data control."
YouTube's response
YouTube has stated that it won't use credit card or ID details for ads - something which has left sceptics concerned it could be stored for alternative purposes.
"We will use AI to interpret a variety of signals that help us to determine whether a user is over or under 18," said Google's James Beser, who runs product management at YouTube.
"These signals include the types of videos a user is searching for, the categories of videos they have watched, or the longevity of the account."
Beser added: "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.
"We will only allow users who have been inferred or verified as over 18 to view age-restricted content that may be inappropriate for younger users."
YouTube has also stated that it's only trying this out on a 'small set of users', adding that it would closely monitor the feature 'before we roll it out more widely'.
Google likewise confirmed that the user's registered birthday doesn't matter, as it can reportedly be faked too easily.
"This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age-appropriate product experiences and protections," Beser concluded.
Tyla has reached out to YouTube for comment.
Topics: Social Media, News, Life, Technology, Artificial intelligence
Rhiannon Ingle