Amid rising cyber crimes around the world, YouTube has decided to impose strict rules for live streaming. In fact, with this move, the company wants to make the YouTube platform safe for young and teenage users. According to Google's new decision, from July 22, the minimum age for hosting a livestream will be increased from 13 to 16 years. That is, teenagers or teens under the age of 16 will not be able to livestream on YouTube.

According to the new rule, teenagers under the age of 16 will no longer be able to livestream on their own. For this, they will have to adopt some security measures. YouTube says that these steps have been taken to increase the safety of minors and limit the risks they face while connecting with large, often unpredictable, online audiences. It is written on YouTube's support page that these updates are part of our ongoing work to ensure the safety of children and teens on YouTube.

Underage teens will still be able to appear in livestreams but under strict conditions. They must be accompanied by an adult on camera, and if not, YouTube may shut down the live chat or remove the stream entirely. For teens who want to run their broadcasts, a parent or other adult must be added as a channel manager, start the live stream through YouTube's Live Control Room, and appear on camera throughout.

The updated policy builds on YouTube's child safety measures, such as supervised accounts, the Made for Kids content category, and features designed to protect young users from potentially harmful content. The platform also continues to remind its young creators and viewers about privacy best practices, including avoiding sharing personal details on camera and managing interactions using chat moderation tools.

Earlier this year, YouTube's parent company Google took steps to prevent underage users from lying about their age. In February, the company revealed that it had begun using machine learning systems to more accurately estimate users' true ages, to prevent children from accessing content not optimized for them.

While these new restrictions may disappoint some young creators, YouTube says that the safety of minors is its top priority. The platform hopes that by implementing these measures, it can create a safe and responsible environment for teens who want to explore live content. However, the move may slow the growth of young content creators who rely on live streaming to build their presence and connect with audiences in real-time. For many, live streaming has been an essential tool for engagement and discovery. Still, YouTube seems to be adamant in its stance that the safety of children should be a priority.

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