Australia Advances World-First Social Media Age Ban as New Research Reveals Widespread Online Harm to Children

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Australia Advances World-First Social Media Age Ban as New Research Reveals Widespread Online Harm to Children

Australia's eSafety Commissioner said Tuesday the country remains on track to implement the world's first social media minimum age law by December, as new research revealed nearly three-quarters of children aged 10 to 15 have encountered harmful content online.

Julie Inman Grant told the National Press Club that her office has made "significant progress" implementing the legislation requiring social media platforms to prevent under-16s from creating accounts, with companies facing fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars per breach.

"The stakes are high, and we know that the eyes of the world are upon us," Inman Grant said. "Australia has already led the world in its commitment to online safety, and we are again showing our world-leading credentials."

The commissioner released new research surveying more than 2,600 children between ages 10 and 15, finding that 96% had used at least one social media platform and 70% had encountered harmful content including violent videos, dangerous online challenges and material promoting disordered eating.

"Children told us 75% of this harmful content was received or encountered on social media," Inman Grant said. "YouTube was the most frequently cited platform in our research, with almost 4 in 10 children reporting exposure to harmful content there."

The findings come as Inman Grant recommended the government scrap YouTube's planned exemption from the age restrictions, advice that sparked immediate criticism from the Google-owned platform. YouTube issued a statement Tuesday calling the recommendation contrary to "the government's own research on community sentiment, independent research and the view of stakeholders."

Grooming and Exploitation Surge

Perhaps the most concerning finding, Inman Grant said, was that one in seven children reported experiencing grooming-like behavior from adults or children at least four years older, including inappropriate sexual questions or requests for nude images.

"Of those affected, just over 60% said their most recent experience with grooming occurred on social media," she said.

The commissioner reported a 1,300% increase in sexual extortion reports from young adults and teens over three years, with a 60% surge specifically targeting 13 to 15-year-olds in the past 18 months.

eSafety has begun issuing enforcement notices to Australians as young as 14 for sending "unrelenting rape and death threats" to female peers, Inman Grant said. She noted the increasing use of phrases like "KYS," shorthand for "kill yourself."

"The tenor, the tone, and the visceral nature of cyberbullying affecting children today has changed and intensified," she said.

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