19/08/2025

LYFE TUESDAY | AUG 19, 2025

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Malaysian Paper

/theSunMedia /

YouTube uses AI to spot children posing as adults

Y OUTUBE has started using artificial intelligence (AI) to figure out when users are children pretending to be adults on the popular video-sharing platform amid pressure to protect minors from sensitive content. The new safeguard is being rolled out in the US as Google-owned YouTube and social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are under scrutiny to shield children from content geared for grown-ups. A version of AI referred to as machine learning will be used to estimate the age of users based on a variety of factors, including the kinds of videos watched and account longevity, according to YouTube Youth product management director James Beser. “This technology will allow us to infer a user’s age and then use that signal, regardless of the birthday in the account, to deliver our age appropriate product experiences and protections. “We’ve used this approach in other markets for some time, where it is working well.” The age-estimation model enhances technology already in place to deduce user age, according to YouTube. Users will be notified if YouTube believes them to be minors, giving them the option to verify their age with a credit card, selfie or o Based on videos watched, platform to utilise machine learning to infer users’ age

government ID, according to the tech firm. Social media platforms are regularly accused of failing to protect the well-being of children. Australia will soon use its landmark social media laws to ban children under 16 from YouTube, a top minister said late last month, stressing a need to shield them from “predatory algorithms”. Communications Minister Anika Wells said four in 10 Australian children had reported viewing harmful content on YouTube, one of the most-visited websites in the world. Australia announced last year it was drafting laws that will ban children from social media sites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram until they turn 16. “Our position remains clear – YouTube is a video-sharing platform with a library of free, high-quality content, increasingly viewed on TV screens. It’s not social media.” the company said in a statement at the time. On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world. It is due to come into effect on Dec 10. The legislation has been closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans. – AFP

YouTube’s new AI age-estimation safeguard is being rolled out in the US. – 123RFPIC

‘Excessive screen time may raise heart disease risk’

Baby Shark goes platinum in UK

POPULAR children’s song Baby Shark has been awarded BRIT Certified 5x Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) – the first-ever K pop and kids’ song in history to earn this certification, said The Pinkfong Company, the entertainment company behind the song. Awarded to singles that surpass three million units in the UK — including digital downloads and streaming equivalents — the BRIT Certified 5× Platinum honour is among the highest accolades in recorded music sales. With this achievement, Baby Shark joins the ranks of the UK’s all-time best-selling singles, standing alongside chart-topping hits from some of the world’s most iconic artistes. Since its release, Baby Shark has captivated global listeners with versions spanning classical, acoustic, hip-hop and EDM. In January 2019, the single debuted at 32nd on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 20 consecutive weeks, while also peaking at sixth on the Official UK Singles Chart — the highest position ever achieved by a kids’ song. The song’s remarkable journey includes multiple international accolades: BRIT certified 2× Platinum in 2020; RIAA Diamond certification (11× Platinum) in the US same year; surpassing one billion streams on Spotify by 2023; Gold certification from France’s SNEP in 2024; and ranking as the most-streamed music video of all time in the UK. Last Thursday, South Korea’s top court ruled that Baby Shark was not plagiarised, rejecting a copyright claim filed by a US-based composer.

Researchers say children and adolescents are more at risk from the potential harmful effects of screens than adults. – 123RFPIC

CHILDREN who spend too much time in front of screens, whether phones or TVs, have an increased risk of heart and metabolic disease, according to a Danish study published recently. The study tracked the screen consumption and sleep habits of more than 1,000 10-year and 18-year-olds, with researchers examining the relationship between screen time and cardiometabolic risk factors. “Children and young adults who spend excessive hours glued to screens and electronic devices may have higher risks for

risk than their peers,” lead author David Horner, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, said in a statement. “Multiply that across a whole population of children, and you’re looking at a meaningful shift in early cardiometabolic risk that could carry into adulthood,” Horner added. Researchers are divided on the potential harmful effects of screens on children and adolescents, but the majority agree that younger populations are more at risk compared to adults.

cardiometabolic diseases, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance,” said the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association . Subsequently, they face a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, the researchers found. The analysis revealed that each additional hour of daily screen time increases the risk of disease. “This means a child with three extra hours of screen time a day would have roughly a quarter to half a standard-deviation higher

Baby Shark.