YouTube expands age verification to more users. Several users are reporting on Reddit seeing new restrictions being applied to their accounts.
YouTube Rolling Out AI Age Verification to New Batch of Users
https://www.androidheadlines.com/2025/11/youtube-expands-ai-age-verification-widely-us.html
72 Comments
aReallyCrunchyLeaf@lemmy.ml · 106 pts · 317d
the internet fucking sucks so bad now oh my GOD
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 317d
Blaiz0r@lemmy.ml · 7 pts · 317d
The thing about sites like these is that they are augmented by other sites like YouTube or Imgur.
If you live in the UK now, you won't be able to open Imgur links, catbox rarely works and YouTube requires age verification.
There are of course alternatives, but they're barely used.
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 316d
Blaiz0r@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 316d
Yes they do, don't they
dil@piefed.zip · 5 pts · 317d
A small bastion where ppl still make sense, lemmy is why I still have faith in ppl on the internet, what we get without controversy fueled algorithims is people just actually discussing sht and being helpful
DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org · 46 pts · 317d
One more reason to use an alt front-end, and clear/disable your watch/view history and not log into YT directly anymore, at least while you still can.
cyberwolfie@lemmy.ml · 16 pts · 317d
I don't think you bypass the age checks with the alternative front-ends? I've been using FreeTube for some time, and whenever there has been an 18+ video, I would not be able to view it as I would not pass the age check. If this is a more general check that is being rolled out, I guess there will be less and less videos that will work through these.
I think I need to start hoarding video tutorial series and self-host them. Would something like TubeArchivist be my best bet for that?
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 317d
I just duckduckgo some youtube downlaoder sites, paste the link, wait for download, then watch using VLC. Not seamless, but whatever, I can read a wiki article while I wait.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 316d
Pinch flat exists.
mysticmartz@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 317d
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 317d
Sounds good in theory but there just isn’t anything that can hold up to the same traffic. Don’t get me wrong, I’d migrate away from YouTube in a heartbeat, but there really isn’t much that compares when it comes to the creators, and the music. All of which are “free” and easy to access with an ad blocker.
And I’m including piracy.
3abas@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 317d
Have you seen most YouTube videos? Nothing can hold up to the garbage content being pumped in by scammers and low effort "influencers" and shit like Mr beast or the Pauls or whatever is popular these days. We don't need YouTube level capacity for good content.
KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 317d
But that bad content would flow over to the new platform. Just like bots and bad actors exist here on Lemmy, and wether or not you want them to be here they are.
You can’t build for “the good content” and assume the bad won’t follow. And honestly, once you hit a certain scale it is literally impossible to weed out the bad.
Tim_Bisley@piefed.social · 14 pts · 317d
What alt front ends are there? How would you bypass the age check? Back in the day I didn't have an account and you could get around it using third party sites but those don't work anymore as far as I know.
DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org · 14 pts · 317d
Invidious mainly, and that doesn't use any YT accounts, it's the equivalent of watching YT logged out.
Also, Grayjay lets you log in through it but that probably doesn't bypass the age check if you're KYC'd.
If you're an active creator yourself though or even if you only have a few vids you made years ago that are still up, I'd set up PeerTube, Odysee, or both, and post those there while you still can, though.
floofloof@lemmy.ca · 11 pts · 317d
Presumably once YouTube finishes rolling out age verification, all these age restricted videos will require logging in to view them and anonymous front end apps will be locked out.
DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org · 15 pts · 317d
Age-gated vids have been login-walled for a while now, non-age-gated stuff is still viewable while logged out and through alt front-ends, for now.
I won't put it past Google to fully login-wall YT at some point in the future though, or even worse, put DRM on it so that it's only watchable through Chrome on Android, or Chrome or Edge on Windows, and non-Android and non-Windows OSes, and non-Chrome/Edge browsers are blocked, as well as alt front-ends and downloaders, and even mirroring to competing platforms.
darkkite@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 317d
they could but it would harm a lot of organic growth since they rely on content being easily shared.
i don't think they will do chrome only as that would be anticompetitive
nyan@lemmy.cafe · 1 pts · 316d
Not unless they're complete boneheads (which, admittedly, is not impossible). If they do that, they effectively lose embed-video-in-external-sites functionality, and that might just be enough for unpaid content creators to dump the platform en masse and cause their effective monopoly to crumble. The content creators who are actually making decent money may never leave entirely, but if another viable platform comes into existence, I bet most of them would mirror to it.
DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org · 1 pts · 316d
Assuming mirroring isn't borked by that aforementioned DRM.
aaronhooper@retrolemmy.com · 1 pts · 313d
honestly I didn't know invidious was still around. last time I tried to use it it was broken
DFX4509B_2@lemmy.org · 2 pts · 313d
There's only like, one viable instance though: inv.nadeko.net.
Darkcoffee@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 317d
Getting GrayJay was the best decision I made. However much the one time license was, I have 0 regrets.
artyom@piefed.social · 6 pts · 317d
Yeah they still rarely work but I'd rather deal with intermittent inoperability than log into a YT account and use their absolute atrocity of a UI.
Also worth noting that paying for premium does not give you any more control over this waterfall of forcefed garbage.
Darkcoffee@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 317d
I swear to god Google I will delete my account and use a front end for every single time I see a video on your platform, so help me God.
goatinspace@feddit.org · 7 pts · 317d
peertube
desmosthenes@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 317d
sigh
andreabont@l.posterdati.it · 5 pts · 317d
Can those affected by the now policy use Grayjay (https://grayjay.app/) to bypass it?
kokesh@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 316d
I guess reVanced will remove this shit
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · -10 pts · 317d
I don't understand why people are so afraid to ditch YouTube
SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works · 36 pts · 317d
A lot of creators I watch are YouTube exclusive with their content.
If they were on Peertube, I'd delete YouTube in a heartbeat.
But I also understand that a lot of them make their living off ad revenue, so I don't blame them for staying.
criss_cross@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 317d
You can also check out nebula. A good chunk of them are there.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · -21 pts · 317d
Why commit to them instead of finding alternative creators on a different platform?
SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works · 20 pts · 317d
There is no substitute for Hank Green.
original_reader@lemmy.zip · 11 pts · 317d
Fine. Name alternatives for what YouTube is mostly used for and I'll be the first to take your advise.
We are talking vlogs on huge amounts of topics, product reviews and unboxings, reaction videos, how-to tutorials, gaming videos (walkthroughs, live streams, etc.), ASMR and relaxation content, educational and explainer videos for science, history and finance... and so on.
There's simply no true alternative.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · -5 pts · 317d
What are you into?
original_reader@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 317d
The above.
My circle of family, friends and others will extend the list to music videos, health care (mental health and wellness, for example), the shorts, movie trailers, even Hallmark movies.
There is no platform other than YouTube that combines all this crazy amount of content.
There's PeerTube with notoriously difficult onboarding for the average user and limited content, there's Loops with extremely limited content.. I really wish it were different.
Maybe one day existing platforms will rise. Looking at you, VIMEO, Kick, DailyMotion, DTube...
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
In the meantime, lets utilize other sources of videos like those at our local libraries, public domain hosts, archive websites, and open source federated video sharing platforms
then_three_more@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 317d
Name one
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · -4 pts · 317d
What are you into?
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 13 pts · 317d
Doesn't matter. Name a single FREE alternative to YouTube with content worth watching.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · -9 pts · 317d
Depends on the content you're wanting to watch.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 9 pts · 317d
See, you can't even just name something. Because it doesn't exist.
toomanypancakes@piefed.world · 2 pts · 317d
How about mtg gameplay, video game speedruns, beat battles, and vtubers? That's pretty much all I use YouTube for these days, but I'd love to drop it completely.
faythofdragons@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 317d
I do cosplay, dollhouses, and dioramas, and peertube is pretty dead on that front.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
Cosplay: https://www.therpf.com/forums/
Dollhouses: https://www.dollshousespastandpresent.co.uk/Forum
Dioramas : https://www.scalemodeladdict.com/forums/dioramas-terrain.88/
then_three_more@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 317d
Photography, Star trek, fountain pens
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
Photography, check out pixelfed
Star trek, check out https://www.trekbbs.com/
Fountain pens, check out https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/
then_three_more@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 243d
Forums like the fountain pen one and and the photography one you suggested are a Reddit replacement. However, sometimes you want to watch a video though. So they're not good YouTube replacements in my opinion.
Pixelfed is great as an Instagram replacement, but again no videos.
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 317d
Not “afraid” to “ditch” a monopoly. It’s a monopoly.
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 9 pts · 317d
If you want to transfer every video to a different service, be my guest.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 317d
I mean, it gives you tools to export your videos out.
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 10 pts · 317d
Cool. You should probably get started. There's a lot of videos.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 317d
I don't have any youtube videos to export. Do you want me to export yours?
atrielienz@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 317d
And everyone else's. People don't go elsewhere because the creators they like are on YouTube. Speaking as someone with Peertube and Nebula.
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
Well we can start looking for creators that respect privacy and freedom of their viewers, ig
atrielienz@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 243d
You're asking them to put their livelihood on the line for your privacy. They're gonna choose the thing that pays their bills every time.
SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de · 6 pts · 317d
no. just start at the frontpage and continue from there. let me know when you're done, I got some videos on my todo list
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
Nothing on the front page though
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 5 pts · 317d
If you would, thank you. Here's the list:
www.youtube.com
9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 244d
Not seeing any videos there.
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 1 pts · 244d