Online Safety
Australia's online safety framework is among the most ambitious in the world.
Reform is accelerating. Regulatory scrutiny is intensifying. For organisations providing digital products and services, online safety has become a compliance and governance priority.
The Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) (Online Safety Act) has established one of the world's most comprehensive online safety frameworks and significantly expanded the powers of the eSafety Commissioner. Meanwhile, reforms relating to a digital duty of care, children's online safety, age assurance, social media access, AI and platform accountability continue to reshape expectations for organisations across the digital economy.
This means organisations need to make real-time judgment calls about safety-by-design, content moderation, age assurance and regulator engagement – often against a backdrop of regulatory uncertainty.
How we can help
Australia's online safety regime comprises instruments, codes and standards across various domains. Navigating it requires expertise in privacy, technology, AI, online safety compliance, governance, product development, regulatory engagement and risk management.
Our market leading team helps social media platforms, AI companies, gaming companies, technology providers, telecommunications providers, educational institutions and other businesses operating online services:
- understand their online safety obligations and manage compliance risk;
- design and implement online safety governance frameworks, policies and compliance programs;
- engage with regulators (including eSafety, the OAIC and ACMA); and
- monitor, anticipate and respond to new regulatory developments and enforcement priorities, including by identifying the operational impacts and unintended consequences, and advocating for sensible reform.
Protecting children from online harms is a major regulatory priority in Australia. Children's safety is central to the forthcoming digital duty of care, and Australia's social media minimum age framework has been one of the most closely watched pieces of digital regulation globally.
Organisations face increasing expectations regarding child safety measures, age verification and assurance technologies, product design and platform safeguards.
We help clients:
- advise on requirements regarding children's access to online products and services (including age-restricted services), age assurance and verification technologies, and related privacy considerations; and
- monitor and respond to emerging child safety, AI and platform accountability developments.
The eSafety Commissioner has substantial investigative and enforcement powers, and since March 2026 has moved from compliance monitoring to a self-described 'enforcement stance'. Organisations face increasingly frequent regulatory engagement, which often requires rapid assessment of legal risk alongside operational, reputational and stakeholder considerations.
We can help clients:
- respond to information-gathering notices and regulatory inquiries;
- manage regulatory investigations, incident response and engagement with the eSafety Commissioner;
- coordinate responses where online safety, privacy, cyber and consumer law issues overlap; and
- develop and implement broader compliance uplift and digital trust and safety programs.
Online safety increasingly requires organisations to proactively identify and mitigate risks through product design, governance and operational controls.
We help clients:
- embed safety-by-design principles into digital products and services;
- conduct online safety and product risk assessments; and
- implement governance and escalation processes.
Online safety risk often extends beyond a single product or service and can arise across broader technology ecosystems and supply chains.
We help clients:
- assess and negotiate technology, platform and supplier arrangements to appropriately allocate and manage online safety risks;
- review contractual frameworks supporting trust and safety functions; and
- advise on governance and accountability arrangements across complex digital environments.
