Two pieces of news that you will be interested in:
 
Firstly, I have been involved in starting a new movement to help keep kids free of porn and to increase awareness of the Porn Pandemic and its harms (which has escalated due to Covid-19). Please see www.pornfreemovement.com for details and information and most of all jump on Facebook and like our page and consider using the “Pornfree” frame on your social media profile picture. We had over 10,000 likes in 5 days and we have already reached over ¼ million people.
 
Secondly, and most importantly, I want to update you on some good news regarding the Federal Government's response to keeping our kids safe from Porn. The Federal Government “Inquiry into age verification for online wagering and online pornography” and their subsequent report, “Protecting the Age of Innocence” dated February 2020, had some positive developments and is heading in the right direction. No formal safeguards are yet in place though, so we the Australian public, need to keep the pressure on.
 
Read below for a brief summary:
·      Committee report acknowledged a range of harms caused by pornography to young people in the area of health, education, relationships, and wellbeing.
·      The Committee recognises that there is increasingly clear evidence that children and young people are being exposed to online pornography and that this exposure is associated with a range of risks and harms.
·      The Committee was concerned to see that, in so much as possible, age restrictions that apply in the physical world are also applied in the online world.
·      The Committee also concluded that age verification can create a significant barrier to prevent young people—and particularly young children—from exposure to harmful online content.
·      In response to arguments against action, the committee reported that there are now a range of age-verification services available which seek to balance effectiveness and ease-of-use with privacy, safety, and security. The eSafety Commissioner explained that there has been increased investment in the development of online age verification, age-assurance, age checking, and e-identification systems over the last few years, and a broad suite of technologies now currently exist.
·      The expert submissions and research clearly showed that safeguards, such as age verification, would dramatically reduce childhood exposure to pornography.
·      Speaking to the Committee, Ms Julie Inman-Grant, the eSafety Commissioner, acknowledged that there are deep and legitimate concerns about how ready access to online pornography might impact the social sexualisation of an entire generation.
·      In relation to pornography, the Committee recommended that the eSafety Commissioner lead the development of a roadmap for the implementation of a regime of mandatory age verification for online pornographic material and that this be part of a broader, holistic approach to address the risks and harms associated with online pornography.
·      The Committee recommends that this work be completed and presented to the government for decision within 12 months of the presentation of the report.
 
Whilst this is a positive step nothing solid has yet eventuated. We await further announcements later this year and will keep you updated.
Thanks so much for your support. Please consider sharing this update and supporting this petition.
 
Regards,
Paul