ESafety

Inappropriate content: factsheet

Key points 

• Many young people are exposed to content that they are not ready for developmentally.
• If the content is illegal or needs to have restricted access for people who are 18 or older, you can report it to eSafety.
• TheeSafety Guide includes information on features of apps that increase exposure to inappropriate content.
• eSafety Education has resources to help teachers explore this issue with their students.
• All students need to be taught specific technical, personal and social skills to help them minimise their exposure to inappropriate content.

Facts and stats

Inappropriate content may be an image, video or written words that can be upsetting, disturbing or offensive. Young people may encounter inappropriate content accidentally or deliberately. It is normal to be curious, but young people may be faced with concepts they are not ready for developmentally.

Inappropriate content may include:

• sexually explicit material
• false or misleading information
• violence
• extremism or terrorism
• hateful or offensive material. 

The exposure of young people to inappropriate content is difficult to measure because many instances go unreported. A child may come across inappropriate content and not tell anyone due to embarrassment, confusion or fear. Given this, the percentage of young people encountering inappropriate or hateful content online could be higher than stated.

According to eSafety research

A high proportion of young people aged 12 to 17 in Australia have encountered inappropriate or hateful content online

How to report and block

Reporting to eSafety 

Australian residents can make a complaint to eSafety about illegal and restricted online content. This includes child sexual abuse material and abhorrent violent material showing terrorist acts, murder, attempted murder, rape, kidnapping or torture.

The eSafety Guide includes information to help teachers and students choose safer apps and to report and block inappropriate content.

App features that increase the risk

Content sharing

Content may be shared with an individual or limited group of users, or it may be publicly available for anyone to view, access, forward or download. Content includes text messages, emails, comments, images, videos or any file format containing data. Content sharing can be a great way to connect with people, share information and stay up to date, however it may also expose users to violent, sexualised or age-inappropriate content.

Apps used for content sharing include: Instagram, Google, WhatsApp, Facebook, Tumblr, Discord, Snapchat

Live streaming

Live streaming refers to online media that is simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time to the viewer. All you need to be able to live stream is an internet enabled device, like a smartphone or tablet, and a broadcast platform, such as a website or app.

Live streaming is different to video calling as it does not allow two-way audio and video communication. It can be difficult to moderate content that is live streamed, so users may be exposed to content not appropriate for their age.

Apps used for live streaming include: Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitch, LiveMe