Google Rolls Out age Assurance to Bolster Online Safety for Young Users in the U.S.
Mountain View, CA – Google is taking a meaningful step forward in its commitment to protecting young people online, beginning the rollout of its new age assurance technology to a select group of U.S. users. This initiative aims to provide more age-appropriate experiences across Google products by distinguishing between users under and over 18.
The technology, first announced in February, will be closely monitored before a wider release. It’s designed to automatically apply enhanced protections for users identified as under 18, building upon Google’s existing investments in technology, policies, and literacy resources for online safety.
“This is just one part of our broader commitment to online safety for young users and families,” a Google spokesperson stated. “We’ve continually invested in technology, policies and literacy resources to better protect kids and teens across our platforms.”
Key Age-Appropriate Protections for U.S. Users Under 18 Include:
Enhanced YouTube Digital Wellbeing: Features like reminders to take breaks and go to bed will be activated, alongside safeguards for content recommendations, including limiting repetitive views of certain content.
Disabled Google Maps Timeline: The popular location history feature will be turned off for younger users.
Restricted Personalized Advertising: Personalized ads will be disabled, and age-sensitive ad categories will be restricted.
Google Play Restrictions: Minors will be prevented from accessing apps restricted to adults on the Google Play Store.
How Age Assurance Works:
Google’s age assurance system utilizes a two-pronged approach: age estimation and, when necessary, age verification.
Age Estimation: This process employs machine learning to analyze various signals associated with a user’s account, such as search history and YouTube viewing patterns, to estimate if a user is likely under 18.
Age Verification: If the system incorrectly estimates a user to be under 18, individuals will have the option to correct their age. This can be done by submitting a photo of a government ID or a selfie.Google emphasizes that its approach to age assurance is designed with user privacy at its core, avoiding the collection of additional data or the sharing of granular user information with third-party apps and websites. The company views this as a collaborative effort, encouraging wider adoption of such technologies across the digital landscape to foster a safer online surroundings for all.
