The Briefing Fifth Iranian woman rescinds asylum + The problems with our new porn laws
Mar 15, 2026
Dr Giselle Woodley, researcher at Edith Cowan University focused on media, youth and online safety. She discusses Australia’s new age-verification rules and why major porn sites went dark for Australian users. Teens’ reactions, increased VPN use, device-based alternatives, impacts on sex workers, and privacy and cyber risks from ID-style checks are explored in short, sharp segments.
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Industry Codes Mandate Broad Age Checks
- Phase two industry codes force age checks across search engines, browsers, games and porn to avoid huge fines.
- They also require limiting content the eSafety Commissioner deems 'lawful but awful' including self-harm and sexual content.
Teens Expect Workarounds And See Benefits
- Teens are tech-savvy and expect to find workarounds like VPNs, anonymised browsers or using a parent's ID.
- Many teens view porn as having benefits and don't uniformly see it as harmful.
Use Device Authentication Instead Of IDs
- Consider device authentication or parental controls as less invasive alternatives to ID or biometric checks.
- Industry (like Pornhub's parent) is advocating device-based approaches to protect user privacy.