Australia’s search engines are set to introduce age restrictions similar to those enforced for Porn Hub in the UK. By the conclusion of 2025, Australians will be required to verify their ages when utilizing Google or Microsoft search engines while signed into their accounts.

These fresh regulations were announced earlier this week. They necessitate that search engines confirm the age of account holders before allowing access. As the predominant search engines in Australia, Google and Microsoft are chiefly accountable for enacting these modifications.

The regulations demand search engines to “apply suitable age assurance measures for account holders” and utilize features like ‘safe search’ at the utmost safety level by default for users deemed likely Australian children.

The purpose of the legislation is to prevent minors from encountering pornographic material and “high-impact violence content” through search engines. In ‘safe search’ mode, such material must be completely filtered out. If age assurance cannot be established (e.g., if the user is not logged in), such content must be obscured.

As per the Australian Computer Society, these initiatives mirror those being contemplated for the ban on social media for individuals under 16 in the country. The legislation, approved in November 2024, will be enacted within a year, synchronizing the age assurance regulations for search engines with the social media prohibition.

The efficacy of age assurance legislation is a topic of discussion. Experts on digital privacy and advocates for free speech concur on the necessity of limiting children’s access to adult content. Nevertheless, there are apprehensions regarding the potential ineffectiveness of age verification laws. VPNs can circumvent location-specific regulations, and certain adult websites not located in the U.S. may opt not to adhere.