Second tranche of Age-Restricted Material Codes take effect

Australians will have to prove their age to access 18+ content such as pornographic websites, R-rated video games and explicit chatbots in a major crackdown on children being exposed to harm online.

New age-restricted material codes are forcing platforms such as search engines, social media platforms, pornography websites, app stores, game providers and generative AI systems to implement stronger protections and age checks on pornography, violence and other harmful content.

For example, clicking a button that says “I’m 18 or older” is no longer enough for adult websites that require platforms to verify user age through age assurance.

These age-testing measures must comply with Australian privacy laws and must be administered solely by the service used and not by the Australian Government.

Violations could result in platforms and services facing fines of up to $49.5 million per offense.

This second tranche of code, which will come into force on Monday, consists of six rules that combine three rules already in place covering search engines, internet service providers and hosting services.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant told the ABC on Monday that the changes were “long in the making” and designed to complement Australia’s groundbreaking social media ban.

‘I can’t enter the strip club’

“…what I would say is that they are complementary and really introduce common sense safeguards online that are similar to those that have protected children in the physical world for generations,” Ms. Inman-Grant said.

“Today, a child cannot walk into a bar and order a drink, enter a strip club, browse an adult store, or sit down at a blackjack table in a casino.

“So this brings the online world and the protections we put in place for children into the digital world.”

The new age-restricted material codes will sit alongside existing illegal material rules and standards already in place, targeting online content including child sexual exploitation, exploitative material and pro-terrorist content.