Google plans to implement a system using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify whether users are of appropriate age to access its specific content.
On the 12th (local time), Google noted that it introduced a new age identification technology through a blog post titled "New digital protection features for children, adolescents, and parents." Google explained that this technology is expected to be applied to various products, including YouTube. This is to prevent adolescents from accessing harmful content such as adult material. With billions of users, Google currently restricts certain services for those under 18. If a user is deemed to be under 18, access to content is limited.
Jennifer Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of Google Core Technologies Team, said, "We will begin testing an age estimation model in the United States starting this year," adding, "This model helps estimate user ages to apply protective features and provide age-appropriate experiences." The Core Team is responsible for building the technical foundation of Google's key products and ensuring online user protection.
Google plans to expand the AI-based age estimation feature to other countries in the future. The introduction of this AI-based age identification technology comes amid increasing pressure for online platforms to strengthen protective measures for minors. In February last year, New York City sued YouTube and Facebook, claiming they were responsible for harming the mental health of adolescents, leading to a series of related lawsuits in the United States.
As a result, in July of the same year, the U.S. Senate passed a bill mandating social media service providers, such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, to protect minors from harmful content and hold them legally accountable.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, also stated in September last year that it established measures to enhance the safe use of products like Instagram for adolescents, allowing the tracking of users who try to falsify their age or use other devices to create adult accounts, while also developing technology to identify adolescents who misrepresent their age as adults.