YouTube raises minimum age requirement for live streaming, prioritizing child security
Update on YouTube's Live Stream Restrictions for Minors Under 16
YouTube has recently announced changes to its live stream restrictions for users under the age of 16. The new rules, detailed in a live stream restrictions post, include a requirement that an adult must be visibly present during live streams.
Starting July 22, the minimum age requirement for streaming will be raised from 13 to 16. For users aged 13-15 who still wish to stream, an adult must be visibly present during their streams. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in disabled chat features and other limitations on the livestream functionality for these under-16 users.
Beyond live streaming, YouTube is also implementing an AI-powered age-verification system. This system detects users under 18 based on their viewing habits and other data, regardless of the age entered at account creation. Minors will experience limited personalized ads, privacy warnings, content restrictions, and digital wellbeing reminders. Users flagged as underage can verify their actual age with government-issued ID, credit card, or a selfie to correct any misclassification.
In some regions, such as Australia, new laws ban users under 16 from having YouTube accounts altogether. This reflects wider regulatory trends and YouTube's compliance with these laws, though these bans specifically come into effect later in 2025.
YouTube has also been testing a new feature called AI Overviews, available from June 26 to July 30, which displays AI-generated highlights for certain queries on Android and iOS devices. This initiative is separate from the changes to live stream restrictions for minors.
The new live stream restrictions for minors do not provide specifics on how the new rules will be enforced or what constitutes an "adult being visibly present." Violating the new rules could lead to the live stream being taken down and the account temporarily losing its ability to live stream in the future.
YouTube encourages young creators to give adults channel access by granting them editor, manager, or owner privileges when streaming. The platform has also provided a set of "best streaming practices" for minors to follow before going live, and parents are encouraged to check them out.
This comprehensive approach aims to increase protections for children while enforcing adult supervision and legal age restrictions on live streaming and account usage.
- Despite the new live stream restrictions on YouTube, minors may still engage with various forms of entertainment, such as watching AI-generated highlights through the new feature called AI Overviews.
- As social-media platforms like YouTube upgrade their age-verification systems using technology, there might be increased limitations on personalized ads, privacy warnings, and content access for underage users, even in entertainment contexts.
