It might be hard to believe, but more and more restrictions are being implemented on products and services found online. You might not see or even experience it, but things are certainly changing, which could at some point end up impacting you at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
This all stems from conversations occurring through Reddit, with quite a number of people becoming locked out of their Google accounts. This is now happening to people using Google Search, with the brand requiring users to verify their age before being able to continue the full experience.
It’s rolling out to Search, so be careful
While most people would just ignore this and continue using the service as is, it does affect the experience quite a bit, restricting access to things you’d normally be able to see in Search. If this sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this type of issue before, with folks having their YouTube accounts being locked out.
We reported on this just a week or so ago, shedding light on how users were having their YouTube account settings automatically being changed, resulting in the user needing to submit some form of identification in order to clear things up. The worst part about all of this is that it isn’t tied to a birthdate, with Google relying on its own AI tools to determine the age of the user instead.
It’s certainly a slippery slope that will most likely continue to affect people well into the future. Despite Google’s attempt to relay this information in advance, it’s still a bit jarring to experience, and can really ruin your day if you’re not willing to submit verification information.
So how can this be fixed?
So what can you do if you’re hit with this restriction on your account? Well, Google offers a few different solutions, like submitting an ID or taking a selfie. There’s also the option of attaching a credit card to your account.
Regardless, most people aren’t really happy about the solutions available, considering they’re giving up more valuable information to Google. But if you run into this issue, it will be the only thing that you can do if you’re looking to keep your account in full working order.
