The eSafety Commission has invited community comment on the development of a ‘roadmap’ to protect young people from being exposed to online pornography.
The eSafety Commissioner said the Federal Government supported a recommendation of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs’ report Protecting the age of innocence which called for the eSafety Commissioner to lead development of an implementation roadmap for a mandatory age verification regime for online pornography.
“For young children, accidental encounters with pornography can be distressing and even harmful,” the eSafety Commissioner said.
“For older children who stumble upon or seek out this ever more violent and extreme pornographic material, there is a risk that it will give them unrealistic and damaging ideas about what intimate relationships should look like,” it said.
It said it recognised the need for extensive research and consultation to identify what a proportionate, effective, and feasible age verification system and infrastructure may look like when addressing children’s access to online pornography.
The Commission said its recommendations would be informed by the advice of the Australian community – civil, academic, not-for-profit, and industry.
“eSafety will gather research, intelligence and information on the range and effectiveness of technologies and systems that assist in minimising children’s exposure to online pornography, as well as other measures that could support any age verification system,” it said.
People can register their interest in in participating in eSafety’s upcoming consultation process at this PS News link and the Commission’s 114-page submission to the age verification inquiry can be downloaded at this link.
