YouTube Tightens Live Streaming Rules for Teens in July Update as Part of Minor Safety Drive

What you need to Know

• YouTube is raising the minimum age to live stream independently from 13 to 16 starting July 22, 2025.

• Users aged 13 to 15 can still appear in live streams but must be visibly accompanied by an adult.

• Unaccompanied 13–15-year-olds will lose access to live chat after July 22 if they live stream.

• The update reflects YouTube’s broader effort to improve child safety and responsible content creation.

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YouTube, the global video-sharing giant, is planning to introduce a crucial change in its live streaming policy from July 22, 2025, in an effort to further safeguard young users. As part of this update, the lower age boundary to host a live stream independently will be increased from 13 years to 16 years. But users aged 13-15 won't be completely prohibited from live appearances instead, they will still be possible, but only when visibly accompanied by an adult while they are live-streaming.

This shift indicates YouTube's continued initiatives to enhance child safety guidelines, in line with general concerns about online safety and digital wellbeing for children. Here's what it means and why it's important.

Minimum Age to Live Stream on YouTube Now 16

Before, 13-year-olds could independently live stream on YouTube, provided they met the site's community standards and terms of service. But according to the new policy, users will have to be at least 16 years old in order to independently live stream, beginning July 22, 2025.

YouTube has also revised its support page to accommodate this change, replacing its previous age limit. The revision is a definite change in moderation standards across the platform, hoping to make the space safer and more supervised for teen creators.

13–15-Year-Olds Need to Be with Adults Now

Though the 13 to 15-year-old age bar has been lifted for live streaming, YouTube has not fully closed the door on youthful creators. They can still be featured in live streams but only if they are "visibly accompanied" by an adult for the full length of the stream.

This regulation isn't new at all; it's copying the policy that was in effect for kids younger than 13. The difference now is in scope older children are now included under this rule, shutting loopholes in YouTube's safety net.

What Happens After July 22

While the policy is technically set to go into effect on July 22, YouTube appears to be providing a grace period for compliance. According to its revised support page, live streams that feature 13 to 15-year-olds who are not accompanied by an adult will have access stripped from live chat, both to the current stream and the account.

Notably, YouTube won't right away impose harsh punishments such as channel bans or strikes. Rather, the company states that measures such as deleting live streams or suspending live streaming temporarily for perpetrators will be put into action "in the future," allowing creators and parents an adjustment period.

New Best Practices for Teen Streamers (16–17 Age Group)

To help teens navigate live streaming responsibly, YouTube has introduced a new set of best practices, specifically aimed at 16- and 17-year-olds, who can still live stream independently under the updated rules.

These recommendations include:

• Keeping personal information private to avoid doxing or harassment

• Using privacy settings effectively to manage audience and interaction

• Letting a trusted adult know before starting a stream

• Monitoring and moderating the chat section for abuse or trolling

• Maintaining a positive and respectful tone during the live broadcast

This checklist was not part of the previous support page version, highlighting a proactive shift in YouTube's strategy to foster safer digital behavior among older teens as well.

Family Center and Parental Oversight Tools

Alongside policy updates, YouTube continues to promote its Family Center—a suite of tools designed to help parents monitor and control their child’s activity on the platform. These include:

• Viewing watch history

• Setting content restrictions

• Managing screen time

• Turning off comments or live chat

The platform clearly wants to empower parents with more visibility while giving younger users room to explore content creation under guidance.

With platforms such as YouTube increasingly shaping culture, especially among young people, child protection and content moderation continue to be contentious issues. This latest move demonstrates a measured response by YouTube to ensure creative freedom is balanced with appropriate safeguards for children.

For teen creators and their families, today is the day to check account settings, refresh permissions, and familiarize themselves with the new expectations. The grace period allows everyone an opportunity to adapt but from now on, live streaming on YouTube is going to need more accountability, more oversight, and more safety-first thinking.

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