YouTube Will Use AI-Powered Age Verification in the U.S. starting August 13, 2025.

This is part of a global push towards online safety for minors and will specifically limit the features of accounts for users believed to be under 18, and YouTube will no longer operate on the "honor system" when it comes to users submitting their age.

This will limit users from watching content that has already been age-gated to over 18 audiences (Not Safe for Work Content) on the platform, also affect the content teen viewers are recommended by the algorithm and disallow targeted advertising for teen viewers.

You can read more about it here on YouTube's official blog.

What is actually happening right now?

YouTube is using its machine-learning age estimation (AI-Powered) to determine a viewers age. It's no longer just checking the birthday on a users account, and will be predicting your age using:

• Video Watch History (over the years if possible)
• Search History (over extended periods of time if possible)
• Account age and behavior including Super Chats and Purchases

Here’s How it Works According to YouTube

We will use AI to interpret a variety of signals that help us to determine whether a user is over or under 18. 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.

Why Is YouTube Doing This?

This is part of larger global initiative around the entire world impacting multiple social media platforms and online publishers and YouTube is getting ahead of much harsher potential regulations, for example Australia has banned users under 16 from Social Media sites.

What is the Impact for Content Creators?

If you have a large audience of viewers that are determined to be under 18 then they will have less personalized ads. Less personalized ads, means lower adsense revenue.

Videos that essentially are already age-gated (NSFW) will be hidden from these accounts.

If more than 20% or more of your audience is under 18 this could significantly impact your revenue.

You could be misclassified as under 18 if you have the following patterns:

• You watch a large amount of animated or kids content (or have someone using your account who does)
• You watch a lot of "teen focused" content creators
• Your account is brand new or has very little watch history and search history
• You don't frequently watch adult-oriented content
• You watch or search for younger topics

If you're wrongly identified as Under 18 you can correct it by verifying with the following options, and prove your age with:

• Government Issued ID (drivers license or state ID or passport)
• Verification Selfie
• Credit Card (for age check only, no charge to your account)

Once you are verified and your age confirmed, all account restrictions are removed.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE YOUTUBE AGE VERIFICATION POLICY

There is a lot of misinformation around this policy update and what it means for creators and I hope that by answering your most asked questions here that we can clear them up:

Q: What Exactly is YouTube's new AI Age Verification Update?

A: YouTube is rolling out an AI-powered system that estimates a viewer’s age based on account activity, watch history, and other signals. If the system believes a viewer is under 18, YouTube will apply additional protections: disabling personalized ads, turning on digital well-being features, and restricting access to age-restricted content.

Q: When will the YouTube Age Verification Update Roll Out in the United States?
A: The YouTube Age Verification rollout begins with a small percentage of U.S. users in the coming weeks, with full expansion happening gradually. This slow rollout allows YouTube to monitor impacts and fix issues before scaling up.

Q: Has YouTube Already Tested This in Other Countries?
A: Yes. YouTube has been running similar AI age estimation systems in the UK and Europe for 3–4 years, with a track record of accuracy and minimal false positives.

Q: How Does the YouTube Age Verification Update Differ from COPPA Rules?
A: COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) applies to users under 13 and is enforced at the creator/content level — creators must mark “made for kids” content.
This new AI update targets the viewer side, estimating ages for 13-17-year-olds, and does not require creators to label their content differently.

Q: How Does YouTube's AI Determine a Viewers Age?
A: The AI uses multiple signals: account longevity, engagement patterns, types of content consumed, transactions history, such as Super Chats, and overall behavior over time. It's not based on a single video or what you watched last week, it is considering YEARS of activity whenever possible.

Q: What Happens if a Viewer is Flagged as Under 18?
A: Here is what happens if you are flagged as under 18
-  A user estimated to be under 18 will see a pop-up notification
- Digital well-being features like "take a break" and bedtime reminders, turn on by default.
- Personalized ads are disabled; contextual ads still run.
- They cannot view videos marked as age-restricted.
- 99.9% of YouTube remains accessible.

Q: How Can a Viewer Appeal of Correct an Incorrect Age Classification?
A: Viewers over 18 that are misidentified can submit proof though:
- Government-issued ID
- Credit Card Verification
- A Secure "Selfie Scan" to Verify Live Identify

No action is required unless the viewer wants to appeal the classification. 

Q: What Forms of ID or Verification Methods Does YouTube Accept?
A: Valid Options for Identification Include:
- Driver's License
- State-issued ID Card
- Passport
- Credit Card with Small Verification Charge
- Selfie Verification Combined with Existing Account Data

Q: Will This Block Access to All Videos or Only Certain types of Content?
A: Only age-restricted content is blocked. All other content remains available, even if Restricted Mode is enabled separately by schools, parents, or institutions.

Q: Does This Apply to Restricted Mode Videos?
A: No. Restricted Mode is a separate filter controlled by the viewer or institution. This AI age estimation does not automatically place content into Restricted Mode or notify creators about it.

Q: How Will This Affect My Ad Revenue As a Creator?
A: If a significant portion of your audience is under 18, you may see a drop in AdSense revenue because personalized ads typically have higher CPMs than contextual ads. However, for creators with mostly adult audiences, this shift may increase RPMs as advertiser dollars flow toward higher-value demographics.

Q: What niches are most likely to be impacted negatively? 
A: Niches with heavy teen audiences may see the largest drops in RPM:
- Gaming content like Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft
- Animation and Cartoon Commentary
- Toy Reviews and Unboxing
- Certain Pop Culture Reaction Content

Q: Why would some creators earn more money after this update?
A: Ad budgets don't disappear, they get reallocated. When personalized ads can’t target teens, advertisers focus more spend on adults who can make purchases, potentially increasing competition and ad rates in over-18 audiences.

Q: Will this change the number of ads show to under 18 viewers?
A: No. The number of ads won't change, only the targeting method. Under 18 viewers still get contextual ads relevant to the video topic, but not based on their own past behavior, which are targeted personalized ads.

Q: Does this only affect Adsense, or will it also affect brand deals and sponsorships?
A: Brand deals based on audience demographics may be impacted if sponsors prefer adult audiences. However, sponsorships that value reach over targeting may be unaffected. The key is being able to show brands your over-18 percentage in YouTube Analytics.

Q: If I have a young audience, what steps should I take to protect my earnings?
A: - Diversify income streams beyond AdSense (merch, memberships, digital products, affiliate marketing).
- Start building an over-18 audience in a second niche with higher RPMs.
- Use your community tab and email list to keep fans connected outside of YouTube.
- Consider starting a Secondary YouTube channel in a high RPM niche with a primary adult audience

Q: Should I consider starting a second channel with a different audience focus?
A: Yes, especially if your current niche is dominated by teens. A smaller, more targeted adult audience can earn more in Adsense and attract higher-value brand deals. Prioritize a high earning niche that has diverse earning opportunities. 

Q: What other platforms are introducing similar age verification measures?
A: TikTok has already rolled out age checks. There are reports Reddit is exploring similar measures. Industry-wide, this kind of verification is becoming standard.

Q: How can I diversify my income so I’m not dependent on AdSense?
A: You can diversify your income beyond Adsense in a variety of ways:

    •    Affiliate Marketing (like Amazon Influencer)
    •    Brand partnerships
    •    Merchandise and print-on-demand
    •    Membership programs (YouTube, Patreon, etc.)
    •    Paid digital products and courses
    •    Consulting or coaching

Hopefully this all clears up any misunderstandings or misinformation about the new YouTube Age Verification Policies, how the AI-Powered Verification will actually work, and what the impact to creators will actually look like.

While some critics are fearing this will have wider free speech implications, that remains to be seen, and that has been said about similar policies before with very little material impact.

As of now in fact YouTube has actually rolled back several policies that did limit free speech in real ways, and currently the platform is much better on free speech than it was even 3-5 years ago.