Australians will soon need to prove their age when logging on to the internet, under sweeping reforms from the Albanese government.
The mandatory age checks follow the recent announcement of a social media ban for under-16s and have been described as an unprecedented shift in how Australians access online content.
Under new regulations passed last month, major tech companies like Google and Microsoft must verify the ages of logged-in users in a bid to restrict children's access to harmful content such as pornography.
From December 27, these companies will be legally required to implement age-assurance technology when users sign in - or face fines of up to $50 million per breach.
To verify users' ages, search engines could use methods such as credit card checks, photo ID, facial age estimation, digital ID, or parental vouching - though companies haven't confirmed which systems they'll adopt.
Search results for users under 18 will be filtered for content relating to pornography, violence, eating disorders, and other harmful topics.
Professor Lisa Given, from RMIT's School of Information Sciences, said the code introduces a range of new rules that affect all users - not just minors.
For example, providers must 'prevent autocomplete predictions that are sexually explicit or violent' and prominently display crisis-prevention information, such as helplines, in the results for queries relating to topics such as self-harm, suicide and eating disorders.
'Search engine providers will also have to blur some images in search results by default to reduce the risk of kids inadvertently accessing or being exposed to pornographic or violent material,' she said.
'And they will have to provide parental controls to limit or alter children's access to adult material.'
'On top of these measures, the code requires search-engine providers to report to eSafety, invest in safety and moderation teams, and engage with community organisations.'
She said the changes could affect privacy and may not protect younger people as much as they're intended to.
'I have not seen anything like this anywhere else in the world,' Ms Given said.
'As people learn about the implications of this, we will likely see people stepping up and saying, wait a minute, why wasn't I told that this was going to happen?'
She also said that tech-savvy children may find ways to bypass the checks, such as using VPNs or logging in with an adult's account.
'As with all age assurance checks, there may be ways people can get around these new search engine controls.'
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant recently told the National Press Club that the rules are part of a broader push to create a 'layered safety approach', working alongside age restrictions on apps and devices.
'These provisions will serve as a bulwark and operate in lock step with the new social media age limits,' she said.
'It's critical to ensure the layered safety approach ... including on the app stores and at the device level - the physical gateways to the internet where kids sign up and first declare their ages.'
Social media platforms and search engines could be the first of many sections of the internet that will require age checks.
App stores, messaging services, pornography sites and gambling companies head a long list of subjects preparing for rules to be put in place.
Professor Given said she was worried that 'Australia is going down this path of bringing in age assurance for any and all internet access'.
'This is very much the new reality, and I think there are significant privacy concerns here,' she said.