Australia asks internet companies to help regulate online access for minors

Australia has given internet-related companies six months to develop enforceable codes aimed at preventing children from accessing pornography and other inappropriate content online, according to the eSafety Commission’s announcement on Tuesday. To outline their expectations, it presented a policy paper to guide the internet actors’ codes. Preliminary drafts of the codes are to be presented by 3 October 2024, and final codes are to be submitted by 19 December 2024. 

These codes will complement current government drives towards online content policy and safety. “We […] need industry to play their part by putting in some effective barriers to protect children,” said the eSafety Commissioner Ms Inman Grant. Concerned internet actors range from dating apps and social media to search engines and games.

The codes will be centred primarily around pornography, but will also encompass suicide and serious illnesses, including self-harm and eating disorders. Potential measures to protect children from explicit content may include age verification systems, default parental controls, and software to blur or filter inappropriate material.

The regulator did specify this will not completely limit access. “We know kids will always be curious and will likely seek out porn as they enter adolescence and explore their sexuality, so, many of these measures are really focused on preventing unintentional exposure to young children.” Australia has previously decided against the use of age verification for pornographic or adult content websites.   

Australia already has a number of codes for online safety, many of which are conceived thanks to similar consultations with NGOs and civil society actors. Spokespeople for Google and Meta have already said they will continue to engage with the commissioner for the conception of regulation and safety codes codes.