Australians Download VPNs in Record Numbers Amid Age Restrictions

Australians downloaded virtual private networks in record numbers on Monday as the country enforced sweeping new online age restrictions aimed at protecting minors from explicit and harmful content. The measures, which took effect on March 9, 2026, require websites hosting pornography, extreme violence, self-harm, or eating disorder material to verify that users are over 18, while app stores must conduct age checks before allowing downloads of software rated for adults. Artificial intelligence-powered chatbots face similar mandates to withhold sensitive content from children, with potential fines of up to A$49.5 million for violations.

The rollout follows Australia's pioneering nationwide ban on social media use by those under 16, implemented in December 2025. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant described the changes as extending real-world safeguards to the digital space. "A child today can't walk into a bar and order a drink, they can't stroll into a strip club or browse an adult shop or sit down at a blackjack table in a casino," Inman Grant told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "This just really brings those protections that we put for kids in place to the...