Google disables ad personalization for likely-minor US accounts

On 30 July 2025 Google published Ensuring a safer online experience for U.S. kids and teens. The post states Google had previewed the approach in February and would, over the following weeks, roll out age assurance to a small set of US users before monitoring and wider expansion. Measures already used in select other markets are designed to recognise users over or under 18 so younger users receive more age-appropriate experiences.

Protections when a user is identified as under 18

For users Google identifies as under 18, automatic protections include: YouTube Digital Wellbeing tools (reminders to take a break and go to bed) plus recommendation safeguards such as limiting repetitive views of some content; disabling Timeline in Maps; disabling personalized advertising and restricting age-sensitive ad categories; and preventing access to apps restricted to adults on Google Play. Google frames age assurance as combining age estimation and, when necessary, age verification, with notification to the user as products are used.

Limits of this record

The blog does not publish the share of US accounts flagged, false-positive rates, or advertiser-side CPM/CPI deltas. Publisher-product behaviour when a signed-in user is flagged (Ad Manager / AdSense / AdMob) is described in partner communications around the same rollout; treat those as secondary unless you hold the email.

Operator action

Do not invent the share of Google accounts flagged or CPI impact.

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Research checked 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.