Search engines will soon start filtering adult content in Australia 'eSafety'

Search engines in Australia will soon have to blur pornographic and violent images in some cases to limit the chances children accidentally encounter this content.

This is one of several rules outlined in a new online safety code covering internet search engines that comes into force on December 27.

In 2022, Australia’s online safety body, eSafety, surveyed more than 1,000 Australians aged 16 to 18



years.

The research found that one in three were under age 13 when they were first exposed to pornography. This exposure was “frequent, accidental, unavoidable and unwelcome,” with content described by young people as “disturbing” and “in your face.

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has said “a high proportion” of accidental exposure is through search engines, which are “the primary gateway to harmful content”.