At the “Connect to Protect” international conference, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant presented Australia’s experience in keeping children safe online, stressing that technological development must go hand in hand with effective child protection mechanisms.

She drew attention to the fact that a large part of children’s and teenagers’ daily lives has moved into the digital environment. Social media, online games, messaging platforms and AI-powered tools create new opportunities for development and communication, but they also bring new safety challenges.

Why awareness alone is not enough

Julie Inman Grant stressed that informing children about online risks is important, but the whole burden of their safety cannot be placed on children and parents.

Even children with high digital literacy can face online bullying, sexual exploitation, harmful content or misuse of their personal data.

Digital platforms themselves therefore need to build in effective safety mechanisms.

Safety as a design principle

The speaker presented the “Safety by Design” approach.

It means that technology developers should assess potential risks in advance and build safety into their products during development.

Julie Inman Grant drew a comparison with car safety.

Seat belts and other protective features were once not widely used standards either. But as a result of regulation, technological progress and public awareness, they became an integral part of manufacturing.

According to the speaker, the same logic needs to be applied to digital technologies.

Australia’s online safety regulatory system

In 2015 Australia established an independent online safety regulator, the eSafety Commissioner.

Its work includes preventing online harm, raising awareness among children and adults, developing complaint mechanisms and applying relevant requirements to digital platforms.

The conference also heard about Australia’s initiatives on minimum age requirements for social media and stronger oversight of online platforms.

Risks related to artificial intelligence

Special attention was paid to AI-generated fake images and videos, the non-consensual sharing of intimate content and new forms of online sexual exploitation.

The speaker highlighted the need for regulation and safeguards that make it possible to prevent harm or respond as quickly as possible when it occurs.

She also addressed the safety of AI chatbots, stressing the need for protection that matches children’s age and stage of development.

Cooperation between technology companies and states

Julie Inman Grant stressed that protecting children in the digital environment requires cooperation between state bodies, technology companies, international organisations and civil society.

Developing shared safety standards is particularly important, as online platforms and the risks they create do not stop at national borders.