'Game-changing': Australia regulator calls for U.S. to follow its lead

An online safety regulator focused on harm remediation would be a “game-changing” addition to the U.S. government, according to Australia’s eSafety commissioner.

But the over-politicization of online safety by conservatives may hamper efforts to carve out a set of sensible safety standards for minors, according to Julie Inman Grant, an American who helped Australia enforce a first-in-the-world law banning children under 16 from social media.

Grant told Politico in an interview that Australia’s online safety law – which she noted is “very bipartisan” – is a way to protect citizens from companies that are “ostensibly causing some harm.”

“If we had a fellow regulator to work with in the United States, I think it would be game-changing,” Grant told the outlet. “I’ve, of course, been following the debate over the years around online safety in the United States, and it’s really been about suppressing conservative voices versus progressive voices. It’s been politicized in a very different way.”

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Congress has weighed legislation to shield kids from harmful online content, Politico reported. But despite bipartisan backing, the Kids Online Safety Act failed to pass this year amid opposition from top House Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who the publication said fear will lead to the censorship of conservatives.

“For too long, the burden for safety has fallen on the parents themselves or the children, rather than the platforms,” Grant told the outlet. “So the way that the government designed this is to put the burden on platforms.”

Grant compared online safety to initiatives Congress enacted in the late '60s and early '70s revolving around vehicle safety features.

“So the analogy would be, embed the virtual seat belts and erect the digital guard rails to prevent the next tech wreck from happening,” she said.