YouTube is raising the minimum age required to participate in live broadcasts to 16 years. In a message posted on the YouTube Help support page, it was confirmed that starting July 22, authors must be at least 16 years old to broadcast on the platform unaccompanied by an adult. Previously, YouTube required children under the age of 13 to be visibly accompanied by an adult if they wanted to post live content, but from now on, this rule will apply to all persons aged 13 to 15.
YouTube warns that anyone under the age of 16 who continues to live stream without an adult present after July 22 runs the risk of being disconnected from the chat room, as well as temporarily denied access to other features. YouTube adds that it ultimately intends to remove livestreams that violate the rules, and anyone whose account is restricted will be banned from livestreaming on another channel. This may ultimately lead to account termination. TeamYouTube’s account states that creators affected by the rule changes will be notified by email if their streams are removed.
Creators under the age of 16 who want to continue live streaming will be able to grant an adult access to their channel as an editor, manager, or owner, allowing them to start streaming from the account associated with their channel. Previously, this had to be done from the YouTube Live Control Room. YouTube has stated that adults participating in a co-creation with someone under the age of 16 must be “visibly present” and apparently just as involved in the live stream as everyone else.
We have reached out to Youtube for more information, as the announcement does not explain why they have decided to make this change now. But this will undoubtedly be a blow to young authors with a large audience.
