Google Starts Using AI in Canada to Flag Under-18 Accounts

Google is bringing its artificial intelligence age-assurance system to Canada, using machine learning to estimate whether account holders are under 18 and applying extra protections when the model thinks they are.

In a Monday blog post from Google Canada, Jeanette Patell, director of government affairs and public policy, said the company will “begin to gradually roll out this technology in Canada” in the coming days. The age-estimation model reads signals already on an account, including search patterns and YouTube video categories.

According to Google, estimation does not collect new personal data beyond what is already on the account. Flagged users are notified by email and in product, with adults told how to verify age if the model is wrong via a government ID or selfie. For under-18 accounts, Google says it will enable YouTube digital wellbeing reminders and recommendation safeguards, disable Timeline in Maps, limit personalized and age-sensitive ads, and block adult-only Play apps.

The Canadian Press notes a credit card check is also available for some users verifying age, that ID checks keep the date of birth and delete the ID image after a short period, and that selfie checks use PrivateID, returning an age decision without handing Google the photo, a precise age, or a retained image.

That Canadian rollout also lands in a policy climate shaped by Liberals introducing Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, in June 2026. It is not law yet, but would push regulated social media toward keeping under-16s off accounts via age verification or estimation. Meta has already been testing AI underage detection in Canada.

Parents already juggling Screen Time will recognize the same child-safety push in Apple’s parental-control work in iOS 27, the broader iOS 27 feature set, and earlier WWDC child-safety upgrades. Those on Family Link will see this as another layer on app limits and downtime, not a replacement.

Whether the model avoids false flags on adult accounts, and how often Canadians face ID or selfie checks, will be the practical test. For now, if Google thinks you are under 18, settings get stricter by default.