Australia's digital regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, has informed the Australian Parliament that it will investigate the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass national age verification requirements for pornography websites. This inquiry follows a surge in VPN-related searches in Australia coinciding with the implementation of new age verification laws.

Regulatory Scrutiny on VPN Circumvention

The eSafety Commissioner's office expressed concern in budget documents submitted to the Australian Senate in May that online platforms regulated under tech industry codes of conduct are still receiving non-age-verified web traffic from IP addresses within Australia. The budget documents state that "Under the codes, there are requirements that service providers must take reasonable steps to prevent workarounds like VPNs so eSafety will look at this when considering compliance with codes."

This concern from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant's office is prompted by internet search engine trends for Australia in March, which showed a surge in "VPN" and "virtual private network" terms by users. These spikes coincided with Australian authorities officially implementing age verification for age-restricted platforms and banning social media for minors. The Nightly reported on March 10, 2026, that Australians trying to access pornography websites were encountering new age checks, leading to a surge in downloads of technology designed to bypass these restrictions.

AVN previously reported that policy changes, including the ban on social media for minors under 16, impacted much of the visible internet in Australia. Around the same time, Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub.com, announced that all of its platforms would be restricted in the Australian jurisdiction to comply with new laws. The Guardian reported on July 11, 2026, that Aylo initially blocked access for Australian users but has since removed pornographic content from the free version of its sites, only allowing Australians to access pornography on the site by paying for a subscription, which functions as a form of age check.

Australian industry codes require the parent companies of online pornography providers to introduce and enforce "appropriate age assurance measures." These measures include identity checks, credit card verification, biometric age estimation augmented by artificial intelligence, and other solutions, as AVN previously reported. However, VPNs have proven to be an effective circumvention measure around content blocks and age verification laws globally, including in Australia and the United States.

eSafety's Approach to VPN Detection

Due to the effectiveness of VPNs in bypassing age verification, Grant's office informed members of the Australian Senate that it is actively working on a means to curtail unverified VPN traffic. The documents submitted to the Senate by Grant's office note, "This is similar to eSafety’s regulatory guidance for the social media minimum age, where eSafety considers VPN detection as a reasonable step to prevent underage users from having an account."

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport, and the Arts is aware that "tech companies can tell when a VPN is in use," according to the documents. The eSafety commission will assess whether adult sites are allowing users to bypass Australia’s new age verification restrictions with VPNs, as reported by The Guardian on July 11, 2026. The online safety regulator is monitoring the compliance of the top 30 adult sites after age verification laws were introduced in March.

New Age Verification Landscape

In March, new codes required adult sites, along with a range of other services including AI companion chatbots and app stores, 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. The Nightly reported on March 10, 2026, that stricter age-verification rules had come into force, requiring websites hosting explicit material to confirm users are over 18 through tools such as facial age estimation, photo identification, or digital identity verification. For years, most adult websites relied on an honor system, asking users to click a box confirming they were over 18, but under Australia’s updated online safety rules, that approach is no longer considered adequate.

Key Facts

  • Australia's eSafety Commissioner will investigate VPN use to bypass age verification on pornography websites.
  • Budget documents submitted to the Australian Senate in May highlighted concerns about non-age-verified traffic from Australian IP addresses.
  • Internet search trends in March showed a surge in "VPN" and "virtual private network" terms in Australia.
  • New age verification laws for age-restricted platforms and a ban on social media for minors were implemented in March.
  • Aylo, parent company of Pornhub.com, restricted its platforms in Australia to comply with new laws.
  • The eSafety Commissioner's office is actively developing methods to curtail unverified VPN traffic.