eSafety Commissioner

We’re urging tech companies to adopt #SafetyByDesign for connected devices and smart technology.   🧠 Smart features are becoming standard on devices we carry, wear, and use. This includes household appliances, TVs, cars, and wearables like phones and watches.   As adoption grows, so do the opportunities for misuse – especially during relationship breakdowns.    Perpetrators can use connected tech to monitor, track or control a partner or former partner. They exploit location-sharing and geo-location features and things like shared accounts.    Protect yourself by: 📌 reducing the apps and services you use with tracking and alerts 📴 turning off live location and drive scoring 👀 reviewing what’s visible on your phone lockscreen.    💡 Treat location sharing as a choice, not a default. You can turn it on for a short time – such as a trip – and turn it off again later.   ⚠ Your safety is the priority. If you think a former or current partner might be using tech to track you, contact 1800RESPECT national counselling and referrals (1800 737 732).   If you’re in immediate danger or worried about someone else’s safety, call emergency services on Triple Zero (000).   🔗 Read our latest online safety advisory for tips on how to protect yourself from tech-based abuse:  https://lnkd.in/gKWekvJF

As we shine a light on digital violence during #16Days of Activism, we also shine a light on the incredible frontline workers who support Australians impacted by intimate partner, family and domestic violence. Their courage, support and wisdom give so many among us hope and a safe pathway out of violence. In Australia, at least 2.3 million women and 693,000 men have experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15. These harms — psychological, physical and sexual — can have lasting impacts on mental health, safety and future relationships. We were proud to join the Stop Domestic Violence Conference on the Gold Coast this week, standing alongside organisations working tirelessly at the coalface, including Relationships Australia (Qld), Pilbara Community Legal Service Inc., 1800RESPECT Australia, No to Violence and DV-alert (Lifeline). As part of our Technology-Facilitated Abuse Support Service, we aim to support and upskill frontline workers to recognise technology-facilitated abuse and integrate it into comprehensive safety planning for victim-survivors. Find out more about technology-facilitated abuse: Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association Inc.

🎙️ From 10 December, will you need to prove your age to use social media, and what might the new law mean for your privacy? Episode 3 of our 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙫𝙨 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 mini-series breaks down the law and the tech behind Australia’s social media age restrictions. #TechMirror host Johanna Weaver and expert guests unpack:  • which social media services are "𝗶𝗻" 𝗼𝗿 "𝗼𝘂𝘁” and why  • what companies will need to do to comply while protecting your privacy  • the difference between 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻   • whether the tech worked when trialed in Australian schools  • plus, another less talked about reform, years in the making, that may have an even bigger impact on how Aussie children experience the online world. Hear straight from the Commissioners enforcing the law Julie Inman - Grant and Carly Kind, as well age assurance technology expert Andrew Hammond, and Associate Editor at Crikey Cam Wilson. 🔗 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

📋 Start getting ready for Safer Internet Day with a variety of resources to promote online safety.   Safer Internet Day is happening on Tuesday 10 February 2026. It’s a global day of action dedicated to raising awareness of online safety.   Our Safer Internet Day hub has resources for schools, tertiary sector and workplaces that make it easy and fun to take part in the day, including:  🖼️ Posters 💬 Conversation starters ✍️ Quizzes ✅ Top tips for a safer internet 🧩 With more content, including a new game for primary school kids, coming soon!   Explore the resources at: https://lnkd.in/grBduY38

🏫 Is your school prepared for the social media delay?   We’ve updated our online safety classroom agreement to incorporate the social media delay and help the whole class be safe and respectful online.    While under-16s will be restricted from having accounts, they can still see publicly available social media content. That means you can still share links to educational YouTube videos for class work and learning.    If you want to learn how you can support your school to get ready, sign up to one of our free educator webinars. They cover: 🍎 what the social media age restrictions means for educators 🧠 insights into how platform design features can impact young people's wellbeing 📕 strategies and resources to support young people through the transition.   Visit our website for info and resources to help school staff get ready: https://lnkd.in/g79cuWgP

A provider of three of the world’s most widely used ‘nudify’ services has withdrawn access in Australia. This is in response to our enforcement action against the company for allowing its services to be used to create artificially generated child sexual exploitation material.    We issued the UK-based company with a formal warning in September for non-compliance with Australia’s mandatory codes and standards, which require all members of the online industry to take meaningful steps to tackle the worst-of-the-worst online content, including child sexual abuse material.    The ‘nudify’ services provided by the company were receiving approximately 100,000 visits a month from Australians and have featured in high-profile cases related to the creation of AI-generated sexual exploitation material of students in Australian schools.   This comes as global AI model hosting platform Hugging Face has also taken key steps to comply with Australian law after warnings from eSafety that certain generative AI models it hosts are being misused by Australians to create AI-generated child sexual exploitation material.    Hosting platforms like Hugging Face act like the gatekeepers of distribution of these powerful AI models, much the same way the more traditional app stores do, so it’s equally important to ensure they also have measures in place to protect children.   Following engagement from eSafety about compliance concerns, Hugging Face has now changed their terms of service so that all account holders are required take steps to minimise the risks associated with models that they upload, specifically to prevent misuse to generate child sexual exploitation material or pro-terror material.      If Hugging Face fails to take appropriate action for a breach of its terms, eSafety could take enforcement action. eSafety has a range of enforcement mechanisms under the Online Safety Act where any company fails to comply with an industry code or standard, including seeking penalties of up to $49.5m.   Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gKWv8JjS

👨👩👧👦 eSafety's Parent Advisory Group is helping parents set the 'new normal' for social media. The group held its first meeting today, bringing together a diverse range of parenting communities to help inform families and support digital literacy as Australia implements its social media minimum age laws. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant delivered an opening address, marking the start of the group's work and highlighting its critical role providing expert feedback and advice to help inform eSafety's approach in supporting families through this important change. The Parent Advisory group brings together 12 organisations reflecting a diverse cross-section of Australian communities, including culturally and linguistically diverse families, First Nations peoples, regional and remote communities, people with disability, LGBTIQ+ communities and families from low socio-economic backgrounds. Its members are: 🤝 Australian Childhood Foundation 🤝 Beyond Blue 🤝 Body Safety Australia 🤝 Bravehearts 🤝 Ctrl+Shft 🤝 Deakin University 🤝 Next Level Collaboration 🤝 ReachOut Australia 🤝 Triple P International Pty Ltd (Positive Parenting Program) 🤝 University of Sydney 🤝 The University of Queensland Parenting and Family Support Centre 🤝 yourtown Members were selected through a competitive EOI process and will serve in a voluntary capacity until 30 June 2026. The Parent Advisory Group will provide eSafety with evidence-informed insights to help strengthen engagement with parents and carers, and shape online safety resources that reflect the experiences, challenges and priorities of Australian families.

🎮 Our new gaming toolkit will help you level up your online safety game.   It’s a practical resource designed to help parents, carers, and educators engage with their children about online gaming – no more feeling like you’re unsure which buttons to press.   It has advice across 6 key areas to help you and your family stay safe when online gaming: 👾 Getting started  ⚔️ Gaming together  🎧 Going online  🔥 Playing with others  💰 How to manage money in games  🛡️ Sharing safely.    Online gaming can be a fun and exciting way for children to connect and thrive. Developed in partnership with Netsafe New Zealand, the new toolkit helps you make sure they explore the digital world with confidence and safety.   🔗 https://lnkd.in/gbA2JWr6