- YouTube is increasing the minimum age for teens to livestream unsupervised. As of July 22, the service will require creators to be at least 16 years old to stream unaccompanied. Any younger users who wish to livestream will need to be visibly accompanied by an adult.
YouTube is updating its livestreaming rules, increasing the minimum age for users who wish to broadcast live on their own to 16.
That’s a change from the current minimum of 13 and will go into effect on July 22, the streaming service announced in an update to its Help support page.
Younger livestreamers will still have the opportunity to go live on YouTube, but anyone below the age of 16 will now have to be visibly accompanied by an adult. And those grown-ups can’t just be a shadow presence. “The adult has to be visibly present and engage in the livestream as much as you do so that we know that you are co-creating with them,” YouTube writes.
Kids who try to end-run this will have their streams removed and live chat disabled.
YouTube said it eventually plans to remove livestreams found to be breaking the rules. Accounts that have restrictions will not be allowed to livestream using a different channel. Those who attempt to do so could have their account terminated.
The post does not explain why YouTube—which is owned by Google, which is owned by Alphabet—is making the changes.
Creators under the age of 16 will also have to give an adult access to their channel as an editor, manager, or owner. That allows the adult to start the stream from the minor’s site. (Currently, channel delegates can only start a livestream from YouTube Live Control Room.)