By 2026, Google will roll out age assurance solutions to users in Singapore. If a user is estimated to be under 18, they'll be blocked from certain apps and even limited from repetitive views of harmful content such as those comparing physical features and portraying delinquency or social aggression
Last week, Google announced at the Safer with Google launch event that with their age assurance tech, they are working towards blocking those under 18 in Singapore from accessing inappropriate content from 2026.
Based on a Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) survey on Digital Parenting in February 2025, 81% of parents are worried about their child being exposed to inappropriate content. Half of the parents surveyed are concerned about cyberbullying and their child’s interactions with strangers. Here at HoneyKids, we echo these sentiments and have always advocated for kids’ online safety and positive digital use!
How Google’s Age Assurance solution works
According to Google, the age assurance technology will estimate every user’s age based on recent content consumption, online activities and browser history. Their age estimation model uses machine learning to interpret a variety of signals already associated with a user’s account, such as recent search terms and categories of videos they’ve watched on YouTube. These signals help determine whether a user is likely over or under 18 years old.
If you’re worried about being incorrectly estimated to be under 18 as an adult, you have the option to correct your age by uploading a photo of your IC or a selfie.
If a user is estimated to be under 18, Google will automatically:
- Disable the Timeline feature in Google Maps
- Prevent minors from accessing adults-only apps on Google Play
- Turn on the SafeSearch Filter setting by default
- Turn on YouTube Digital Wellbeing tools such as reminders to take screen breaks and a bedtime alert; and add safeguards to content recommendations, including limiting repetitive views of some kinds of content (eg. content that compares physical features, portrays delinquency, social aggression etc.)
Insights from the Safer with Google Online Safety Dialogue
We had the chance to attend the Safer with Google event and Online Safety Dialogue, where panelists discussed the topic of Preparing Youths for Evolving Online Threats. The panelists included Minister of State Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, content creator Mathilda Huang, Esther Foong-Tan of SGFamilies, and YouTube’s SEA Lead for Government Affairs and Public Policy, Danny Ardianto.
It was an eye-opening discussion, applauding Google’s latest safety measures and encouraging parents to not just implement these safeguards but also be open to learning about what children and teens are consuming online. It was a great reminder for us parents to find out more, actively speak to our kids about online activity, and even play games together if we can in order to understand their perspectives.
Esther Foong-Tan, Family Life Education Specialist at SGFamilies shared, “I think the more valuable part to this solution that Google is offering this time around is the idea that we are creating pause moments for our children, because the pop-up means that they cannot advance immediately. Many times children or teens end up watching inappropriate content, because they didn’t have time to process that decision. So I’m excited because it offers something like a speed hump. You know, when you [are online] but you have to slow down because there’s a hump, so that moment causes you to think, ‘Hey, should I proceed?’
“If you’re talking about collaboration partnership, I would say people who are working with parents should actually teach our parents, how to have very good conversations to discuss decisions and moral dilemmas. The earlier we can actually let our children explore or even be aware of what is in the world, it would be very crucial then to have that conversation before chancing upon something.”
Looking ahead
It’s not yet clear on what these automatic safeguards will look like once they’ve been implemented – whether the user will be aware that they are given restricted access, or if there will be pop-ups before each ‘restricted’ action that they may be able to bypass. So watch this space for updates once age assurance is live! In any case, we think it’s a step in the right direction and a much-needed safety measure for our kids navigating the online world. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that this will be the norm across all platforms and operating systems moving forward! In the meantime, it’s up to us to have open conversations with our kids about online safety, and teaching them how to discern what’s appropriate content for them to consume.
Are you looking forward to seeing this technology being rolled out in 2026?
