If y'all recently came across YouTube asking you to verify your age or risk account deletion, you're not alone. Google has become much more aggressive most age verification in recent years considering of a hefty fine the visitor had to pay when it was plant violating children's condom guidelines, and that's why it's asking some people for their ID cards or credit cards for verification. Here'southward what y'all need to know.

First off, Google is quick to reassure that any data you provide is solely used for age verification purposes. In a aid page, Google says that if you verify your age via an ID carte du jour, information technology will delete the image as soon as it's done checking. When using a credit card, the company will authorize a small corporeality to check if it'due south valid, but it won't charge any money — the authorization commonly disappears inside the next few days.

Proceed in listen that Google volition only ask you to upload your ID or credit menu on a defended upload site after you sign into your Google account. The company volition never ask you to send an email or message with these details, so be wary if you lot receive anything request you to do that.

If you tin't or don't provide proof of your age, Google will deactivate your account within 14 days and so delete all account information after 30 days. Information technology'southward worth noting that y'all don't accept to be 18 or older to be able to fully use your Google business relationship, though. Kids anile 13 and older are eligible to have a total Google account, so information technology's enough if you proof that you're at least that old. You lot might non be able to access some videos and some other content, but you tin mostly go on using your account as y'all ever have. Kids younger than thirteen can have their own Google business relationship, besides, but it has to be a supervised account, managed by parents or guardians. You'll have to set that upwards with your parents to continue using your account.

Google is doing all that because of a legal dispute. E'er since the company had to pay a record fine of $170 million for breaking the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) dorsum in 2022, the company has become much more than careful most its practices surrounding YouTube when it comes to kid protection. Office of that is reflected in a more aggressive age verification policy, and that'southward where these ID and credit carte du jour requests come from. They're meant to ensure that Google tin can use your watch and browsing history for advertizing, a do that is illegal for minors.

In Europe, a similar child protection legislation (part of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive) is forcing users to verify their historic period. Information technology's supposed to improve protect minors from inappropriate or trigger-happy content.

Equally you lot can see, the reason Google is asking for historic period verification is the protection of minors, and it'southward not meant as a data take hold of or some obscure money-making scheme. While the company hasn't responded to our inquiry about its measures to protect this data, its assist pages make articulate that Google isn't keeping copies of IDs for purposes other than historic period verification.