Most popular porn sites now have age checks for Australians but online watchdog to assess VPN loopholes

eSafety monitoring compliance of top 30 adult sites after age verification laws introduced in March

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Nine in 10 of the most visited adult sites used by Australians now have age checks for users, according to the online safety regulator, but eSafety has said it will assess whether those sites are allowing users to bypass restrictions with virtual private networks (VPNs).

In March, new codes required adult sites, among a range of other services including AI companion chatbots and app stores https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/13/australians-will-verify-age-photo-id-facial-recognition-to-watch-pornography-from-december">to implement age verification for users attempting to access pornography, extremely violent material or self-harm content, in order to block under-18s from access.