Australians who want to access porn sites must now prove they are over 18 under new industry codes – and there is already pushback from some of the most popular adult sites in the world.
Under the new Age Restricted Material Codes which are designed to protect minors from being exposed to graphic content, Australians who want to visit porn sites must undergo an age verification check which may include facial recognition, digital IDs or a credit card.
So gone are the days where all you had to do was choose between two buttons – I am over 18 or I am under 18.
But the company behind some of the most popular porn sites in the world has now blocked all Australian users from their platform in response to these new rules and mandatory age verification now required.
Canadian company Aylo – the publisher of sites such as PornHub, RedTube, YouPorn and Tube8 – has now blocked all Australian visitors.
PornHub is one of the most visited websites globally and in the top 20 sites in Australia.
At the time of writing these sites were “not currently accepting new account registrations in your region”.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said: “We don’t allow children to walk into bars or bottle shops, adult stores or casinos, but when it comes to online spaces where they are spending a lot of their time, there are no such safeguards
“But that changes for Australian kids with these codes, which simply bring those same, commonsense protections we all grew up with to the online world of today to ensure children are having age-appropriate experiences and not being exposed to potentially harmful content too early.
“Industry must now apply consistent standards across their services so children are not accidentally exposed when they search or scroll online.”
These changes under the Age Restricted Material Codes don’t just apply to porn sites.
Also affected will be:
– AI chatbots that can generate explicit material
– App stores where 18+ apps can be downloaded
– Online gaming to access games meant for adults 18 and over
– Search engines where users are not logged into an account
– Social media that allows pornography
