Google starts rolling out age-verification safeguards for under-18s in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Google on Feb 2 rolled out new measures to verify users’ ages across its products in Singapore, as part of efforts to strengthen online safety for children and teens under 18.

The measures will apply across products such as Gemini, Google Maps, Google Play, Search and YouTube.

These measures include disabling the location timeline in Google Maps, restricting access to adult-only apps on Google Play, switching on SafeSearch filters by default, and activating YouTube digital well-being tools. Among the well-being tools are reminders to take breaks and limits on repetitive viewing of certain content.

Using a machine learning model, Google will estimate a user’s age based on signals already associated with their account, such as search activity and the categories of videos watched on YouTube.

Users estimated to be under 18 will automatically receive the safeguards.

The “age assurance solutions”, as Google calls them, had been

announced earlier, in October 2025.

Google had said then that the measures,

as required by the Infocomm Media Development Authority,

would be rolled out in the first quarter of 2026.

Users who are estimated to be under 18 will be notified via e-mail and while using Google products that their settings have been changed.

Adults who are incorrectly identified as minors will be able to verify their age, including by uploading a photo of a government-issued identification card or a selfie, Google said in a media statement in October.

The move to tighten controls over minors’ access comes amid concerns among parents about online risks faced by children, including exposure to inappropriate content, according to a Ministry of Digital Development and Information survey conducted in February 2025.

The roll-out will complement Google’s existing family safety tools, including Family Link, supervised YouTube experiences and its Be Internet Awesome digital literacy resources.

Google’s age assurance solutions “will also be expanded to Brazil and Australia in addition to Singapore, and follows a global approach”, said the American search giant, in response to queries from The Straits Times on Feb 2, 2026.

Several other countries have also implemented age restrictions to strengthen online safety for young users of the internet.

In Australia, teenagers under 16 have 

been barred from social media platforms

such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, in one of the toughest crackdowns on digital platforms in the democratic world.

China has implemented a “

minor mode” setting

that needs app-specific and device-level restrictions to control screen time according to age. The country started with targeted gaming restrictions in 2019 and expanded to the comprehensive “minor mode” that took effect early in 2024.

In Germany, those between 13 and 16 are allowed to use social media only with their parents’ consent.

Malaysia’s social media ban for those under 16

is expected to come into effect later in 2026.

Countries such as France, Denmark, Britain, Norway and Greece are also considering a social media ban for younger teenagers.

Separately, Google announced in October 2025 the launch of the fourth edition of its YouTube Creators for Impact programme in Singapore.

Six local content creators will be engaged to raise awareness of online harms such as cyberbullying and harassment, and to create content aimed at helping young people seek support.