A bit like it already happens in the European Union, pursuant to the AVMSD (Audiovisual Media Services Directive), Google has announced that for Australian users, a new step will soon be added to verify the user’s age at the moment. who wants to take advantage of some services, including YouTube and the Google Play Store.
Big G explains that from next month a further step to verify the age of users will be added to the aforementioned Android apps, this to comply with the guidelines established by the Australian government through the Declaration on Online Security 2022; according to the document, whoever provides a service must reasonably ensure that the user is of an appropriate age, in order to avoid viewing and use of inappropriate content for minors under the age of 18.
Basically, when the user is about to view adult content on YouTube or tries to download applications not suitable for minors, the message you see in the image above will be displayed; a check must be completed to verify the age of the user who, if it does not end automatically, may require a valid identity document or a credit card to allow access to the requested services.
Google emphasizes the privacy and safety of users with the following statement: ” As part of this process, some Australian users may be asked to provide additional proof of age when attempting to watch adult content on YouTube or to download content on Google Play. If our systems cannot determine that a viewer is over the age of 18, we will ask them to provide a valid ID or a credit card to verify their age. We have built our age verification process in line with Google’s Privacy and Security Principles ”.