Google Starts Using AI to Estimate User Ages

In a move aimed at strengthening online protections for young users, Google announced today that it has begun rolling out a machine learning-based system, utilizing specialized artificial intelligence, to estimate the age of signed-in users in the United States.

Google’s update, currently being introduced to a small group of users, is part of the company’s broader efforts to provide age-appropriate experiences and bolster digital safety for minors across its platforms.

“Children today are growing up with technology, not growing into it like previous generations. So we’re working directly with experts and educators to help you set boundaries and use technology in a way that’s right for your family,” Google says.

The changes, first previewed earlier this year, will affect how Google products and its advertising systems interact with users who are identified as likely under the age of 18. According to the company, these users will receive a suite of enhanced privacy and content protections, including the disabling of personalized advertising and restrictions on ad categories deemed sensitive.

“For our publisher ad products, when our machine learning model flags a Google signed-in user as likely under 18, they will be provided additional ad safeguards,” the Google AdSense team explained in an email to publishing partners this week. These changes will be applied across Google’s ad ecosystem, including AdSense, AdMob, and Ad Manager, and will not require action from publishers at this time.

Details of the New Protections

In a corresponding blog post titled “Ensuring a safer online experience for U.S. kids and teens”, Google provided more detail on how its age assurance system works. The company’s machine learning model relies on behavioral signals such as search queries and video viewing patterns to estimate a user’s age. If a user is flagged as underage, they will receive notifications and information on how to confirm or correct their age, including options to upload a government ID or take a selfie for verification.

“This is just one part of our broader commitment to online safety for young users and families. We’ve continually invested in technology, policies and literacy resources to better protect kids and teens across our platforms. Our approach includes providing automatic safeguards for users under 18 with default settings and protections, expanding parental controls through Family Link and creating dedicated, age-appropriate experiences like YouTube Kids,” Google writes.

Google emphasized that this system does not rely on collecting new forms of user data and does not share granular information with third-party websites and apps. Rather, the goal is to build a “privacy-preserving” framework for age-appropriate content and advertising that aligns with both regulatory trends and growing public expectations for youth safety online.

Impact on User Experience

For young users identified by the system, the changes extend beyond advertising. Google will also: Disable Timeline tracking in Google Maps, introduce digital well-being features on YouTube such as break reminders and bedtime prompts, adjust YouTube content recommendations to avoid repetitive viewing of certain content types, and restrict access to adult-rated apps in the Google Play Store.

These updates follow similar initiatives already launched in select international markets. Google’s efforts are also part of a broader industry-wide push to implement age assurance technologies and strengthen digital protections for minors amid increasing scrutiny from regulators and advocacy groups.

Balancing Safety, Privacy, and Oversight

While Google has positioned the rollout as a step forward in child safety, the initiative will likely raise questions around transparency, the accuracy of algorithmic age estimation, and the balance between privacy and parental oversight. The company has stated it will monitor the initial U.S. rollout closely before expanding it more broadly.

As digital platforms continue to evolve, the implementation of age assurance tools signals a shift toward more nuanced and proactive forms of user protection, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and teens. Google’s initiative reflects a growing consensus among technology companies that more comprehensive safeguards are needed to address the unique risks young people face online.

Image credits: Google