Sydney, March 2026 — In a sweeping move that marks one of the world's most aggressive digital safety crackdowns, Australia's eSafety Commissioner has issued an ultimatum to the tech industry. The regulator will target search engines and app stores that fail to verify users' ages for artificial intelligence services by March 9, 2026 — or face unprecedented fines.
The Ultimatum
"eSafety will use the full range of our powers where there is non-compliance," a spokesperson for the eSafety Commissioner stated. This extends to "action in respect of gatekeeper services such as search engines and app stores that provide key points of access to particular services," according to the official.
A Reuters investigation revealed that more than half of leading AI platforms had not made public any steps toward compliance with the new regulations by the deadline. Of 50 text-based AI platforms surveyed, 30 showed no visible progress toward meeting Australia's stringent age verification requirements.
Beyond AI
What Australia is actually building here goes far beyond simple age verification. The five industry codes taking effect on March 9 under Australia's Online Safety Act 2021 impose age-gating requirements across:
- AI platforms and chatbots
- App distribution services
- Social media
- Gaming platforms
- Dating applications
- Websites deemed high-risk for pornography, extreme violence, or self-harm content
Financial Consequences
Every non-compliance incident carries fines of up to A$49.5 million (around US$35 million). This unprecedented financial threat comes on top of existing social media regulations that already require platforms to ban users under 16 entirely — a measure that has already come into effect in December 2025.
"The same government that already bars under-16s from social media is now coming for AI chatbots, app stores, and search engines,"
author Cindy Harper of Reclaim The Net observed.
Researcher Warnings
The regulatory move follows growing concerns from researchers and mental health professionals. Studies indicate that AI platforms, particularly those allowing unmoderated content generation, may be more harmful to youth mental health than traditional social media. The technology's potential for generating self-harm and violent content without the same safeguards as conventional platforms raises significant red flags.
Australia has thus become the first country to pursue such comprehensive age-gating measures for AI services, setting a precedent that could influence digital regulation globally.