ऑनलाइन सुरक्षा पर सरकार घिरी, बच्चों की सुरक्षा को लेकर गंभीर सवाल

The Australian government is once again facing criticism over the issue of children’s online safety. The government, led by Anika Wells and Anthony Albanese, has been accused of failing to protect children from growing dangers on the internet.

The social media ban introduced by the government is now under scrutiny. Critics argue that the policy is riddled with flaws and has failed to address the real problem. A large number of children are either finding ways to bypass the ban or fall outside its scope.

Experts and organisations believe the government has overlooked technologies that could help combat online child sexual abuse material. The international organisation International Justice Mission has also advocated for technological solutions to tackle online sexual exploitation, particularly live-streamed abuse.

Questions are also being raised about why safety tools used by large corporations and government departments are not available to ordinary families and parents.

A recent report by the eSafety Commissioner has further challenged the government’s claims. According to the report, there has been no significant decrease in cases of cyberbullying and image-based abuse in January and February 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, despite expectations that the social media ban would reduce such incidents.

The situation suggests that children are creating accounts using false ages or sharing devices, pushing them toward more unsafe and unregulated online spaces.

The government has claimed that 5 million social media accounts belonging to under-16s have been shut down. However, this figure has not been supported by data released by the platforms.

Critics argue that if platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are violating the law, stricter action should be taken against them.

Overall, the government’s approach has been described as “strong on announcements but weak on implementation.” Calls are growing for more concrete and effective measures to ensure children’s online safety.