- Australia has introduced new regulations requiring age verification for access to explicit video games and adult websites, effective from Monday.
- The mandate compels search engines, social media platforms, app stores, gaming providers, and generative AI systems to prevent children's exposure to age-inappropriate content.
- eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated the rules aim to extend common-sense protections from the physical world to online spaces for Australian children.
- Following the new rules, some pornography websites, including RedTube and YouPorn, have blocked Australian users, while others offer non-explicit versions.
- Experts have voiced concerns regarding children's online privacy due to the requirement for sensitive personal data, and noted a surge in VPN downloads as young people seek to bypass the restrictions.
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