Porn age checks ‘won’t stop’ teens from seeking content
Laws that force pornography websites to take age verification measures are harming healthy conversations between parents and teenagers, an expert says.
The second phase of the eSafety Commission’s Online Safety Codes, which came into force on Monday, requires strict age verification on content determined to be unsuitable for Australian users under 18.
The introduction of the laws led Aylo, a Canadian company that operates free explicit video websites such as Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn, to restrict access for Australian users.
But healthy sexual development and media expert Alan McKee said the laws were unlikely to stop young people searching for sexual material online.
He said these rules were harmful because they created an additional barrier for children to talk to trusted adults about now-restricted content.
“No matter how hard we try, we will never stop teenagers seeking information about sex,” Professor McKee told AAP.
“What you can do is make sure they have the intelligence and critical thinking to deal with this issue in the right way.
“That being said, you don’t want pornography to be a place for young people to learn about sex. It’s designed to be entertainment.
“Learning how to have sex from pornography is like learning how to drive by watching The Fast and the Furious.”
The most common way children are exposed to unwanted sexual material is among their peers and is often linked to bullying, he said.
“This is not through social media or online searching; this is peer group material shared to upset people,” Prof McKee said.
“Someone sharing shocking, extreme images. This is bullying.”
Restricted content under the rules also includes media containing high-impact violence, self-harm material, and dangerous content such as suicide and disordered eating.
The law requires websites hosting pornography and age-restricted materials to verify users’ ages through measurements such as facial age estimation, digital wallets and photo ID.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said it would no longer be enough for pornography sites to simply use a button to ask users if they are over 18.
“There needs to be more rigor behind this,” he said.
“We let companies decide how to verify their age, as long as it’s robust and fair, not forcing people to use a digital ID or government-issued ID, and protecting privacy.”
Prof McKee said the restrictions could drive more traffic to illegal porn sites, like in the UK, or increase the use of VPNs to bypass the age verification process.
“I don’t think you can just tick it off and call it a simple ‘mission accomplished’ that makes things better,” he said of the codes.
The UK introduced age verification restrictions on pornography websites in 2025.
Virtual private networks are on the rise in app listings in Australia after pornography sites began blocking users just days after the restrictions began.
VPN apps allow the user’s location to appear as if they are in another country.
According to data from Sensor Tower, VPN Super Unlimited Proxy rose from 40th place in free iPhone apps on March 2 to 7th place on Sunday.
The laws would also cover AI companions, or chatbots, and require AI companies to block content that encourages children to commit suicide or self-harm.
Noncompliance carries penalties of up to $49.5 million per violation.
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