Google to deploy AI for underage detection in Canada

Google will begin rolling out machine learning systems across Canada to detect minor users and implement default youth privacy protections, the company announced Monday.

"While some would like a system that imposes a universal arbiter of age, we believe that liability and responsibility rest with every service owner — the developer, the publisher, the app creator — because they know their users and services best," Jeanette Patell, director of government affairs and public policy at Google Canada, wrote in an official blog post.

Patell explained that developers designed the architecture "with user privacy in mind," emphasizing that the algorithms analyze existing account signals, such as historical Google Search queries and YouTube viewing patterns, to estimate whether an individual is under 18 without collecting new data.

Once identified as a minor, the account receives automatic safeguards, including the deactivation of Google Maps Timeline, the disabling of personalized advertising, restrictions against adult-rated downloads on the Google Play app store, and automated break reminders on YouTube. Misidentified users retain the ability to dispute classifications by submitting a selfie or a government-issued photo identification card.

The system aims to minimize data ingestion and ensure platforms avoid "sharing granular user information with apps and websites unnecessarily," Patell noted.

The rollout follows similar measures by US social media company Meta, which expanded automated systems to transition Canadian teenagers into restricted settings.

The move also comes as Canadian lawmakers review Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, federal legislation that would require online platforms to restrict accounts for individuals under 16 years old unless sufficient safety protections are established.