Sydney (AFP) – Australia’s online regulator warned porn websites they must block under-18s from Monday under sweeping new restrictions to protect children.
Some sites in Australia had already barred non-members on Friday and were refusing new registrations, days before being obliged to use age verification technology to keep out underage users.
The new rules expand Australia’s online child safety measures following its world-leading December 10 ban on children under 16 joining social media platforms.
The crackdown restricts child access to “age-inappropriate content” including pornography, high-impact violence, suicide and eating disorders.
It covers porn websites, search engines, app stores, gaming providers and generative AI systems, including chatbots.
“Make no mistake, where we see failures or foot-dragging, we will hold companies to account,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Friday.
Failure to comply can bring penalties of up to Aus$49.5 million (US$35 million) per breach.
“Users will be asked to confirm their age when accessing age-restricted material on pornography websites and services,” eSafety said.
“Clicking a button that says ‘I am 18 years or older’ is no longer sufficient. This is consistent with similar efforts being implemented internationally,” it said.
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Now block under-18s from accessing porn, and take it a step further, and ban any site (including X, including that one Lemmy instance that everyone defederated) for posting porn of under-18s.