YouTube’s new AI-based age verification system has identified adult users as minors, restricting their access to the platform. The system appears to be malfunctioning; the platform blocks access to restricted videos from adult accounts and enables features like Digital Wellbeing tools by default.

YouTube’s age verification is failing

This issue occurred despite Google implementing various age verification methods. The error leaves only one option for these accounts flagged as minors: manually re-verifying their age using an ID card, selfie, or credit card information.

Users on many social platforms, especially Reddit, have complained about this issue. These individuals, who claim to be of legal age, claim the system incorrectly flags them. For example, one Reddit user claims to be over 18, while another claims to be 21, yet YouTube still considers them minors.

Just as it did with actual child accounts, the platform displayed a warning message to adults incorrectly flagged as “We’ve changed some of your settings. We couldn’t verify you’re an adult.” The platform then offered the user the option to either continue using the platform with restrictions or verify their age.

YouTube originally implemented this system to prevent underage users from accessing inappropriate content and to show them non-personalized ads.

However, the AI ​​system used to identify underage accounts incorrectly flagged users. If the system incorrectly flags you as a minor, the only solution is to manually re-verify your age using your ID or selfie.