Youtubes Requirement for Government ID

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Users' privacy is being violated by YouTube's new policy. The policy requires Users to provide a government issued ID in order to access content.

Background

YouTube is a social media site created on February 14th, 2005. It allows Users to both upload and view video form content from their electronic devices. Over time, certain individuals, known as content creators, began to make a living off this platform. As the popularity of the platform grew, more requirements became necessary. However, more recently, YouTube has been using the requirements as a loophole to take more away from the User.

YouTube's Government ID Requirement

Recently, on July 30th, 2025, YouTube has announced that they will be testing a new feature on its platform which requires Users to provide a government issued ID to verify if they are 18. If Users refuse, their account will be unable to access any content. This is in response to the UK's Online Safety Act. This act requires companies to verify their Users' ages on their platform. This, however, violates America's first amendment right to the free speech of people and the press.

YouTube's Response

YouTube has responded stating that "This won’t be required for all users. We’ve always had the option for age verification via ID or credit card if someone is incorrectly estimated to be under 18." Although, they have not corrected previous errors with AI they had in the past.

Consumer response

Users are left frustrated by this requirement. As such, users have signed a petition and have contacted YouTube to revoke this new requirement. However, their concerns have been ignored by YouTube as they doubled down on keeping the requirement.