The Alannah & Madeline Foundation welcomes the Australian Government's commitment to conduct a pilot of age assurance technology to help stop children's exposure to pornography, as recommended by the eSafety Commissioner.
This is a significant step forward. Children deserve a digital world where they can flourish and take advantage of all the positive benefits of technology without being exposed to products that exploit them, distress them, or cause harm to their development.
An age assurance pilot provides a strong opportunity to develop, test and refine the best tools for this task. We trust the work will be led by the eSafety Commissioner and will focus strongly on putting the best interests of the child first: keeping damaging content away from children while also protecting children's security and privacy.
We know three-quarters of older teens have seen pornography. Of these, a third saw it for the first time when they were younger than 13.
This situation is unacceptable. Serious concerns exist about the messages children and young people are receiving about sex and consent and the potential impacts on their health, friendships and relationships.
We are also concerned about the exploitation of children and young people that occurs when they are exposed to digital technologies that 'suggest' violent sexual content, handle vast amounts of users' data, and are set up to be compulsive or hard to stop using. We cannot expect children to come of age in digital environments designed to be unsafe for them.
The community wants change. Today's announcement represents a powerful and positive new opportunity.
We advocate for the rights of children and young people to be upheld online and offline, including by governments and digital platforms, and for optimal safety standards to be built into all digital spaces and devices. Learn more about our work here.
