YouTube has begun using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify when children are pretending to be adults on the platform, amid growing pressure to protect minors from inappropriate content.

The new measure is being implemented in the United States as Google-owned YouTube, along with social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, faces scrutiny over safeguarding young users from adult-oriented material.

A form of AI called machine learning will help estimate users’ ages based on factors such as the types of videos they watch and the age of their accounts, explained James Beser, YouTube’s Youth Director of Product Management.

“This technology lets us infer a user’s age and use that signal—regardless of the birthdate listed on the account—to provide age-appropriate experiences and protections,” Beser said.

YouTube noted that this approach has already been used successfully in other markets.

The age-estimation model is designed to complement existing technology that helps determine user age.

Users will be notified if YouTube believes them to be minors, giving them the option to verify their age with a credit card, selfie, or government ID, according to the tech firm.

Social media platforms are regularly accused of failing to protect the well-being of children.

Australia will soon use its landmark social media laws to ban children under 16 from YouTube, a top minister said late last month, stressing a need to shield them from “predatory algorithms.”

Communications Minister Anika Wells said four-in-ten Australian children had reported viewing harmful content on YouTube, one of the most visited websites in the world.

Australia announced last year it was drafting laws that will ban children from social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram until they turn 16.

“Our position remains clear: YouTube is a video sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens,” the company said in a statement at the time.

“It’s not social media.”

On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world.

It is due to come into effect on December 10.

The legislation has been closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans.