Online Safety Act 2021
In plain English
The Online Safety Act 2021 creates new online safety expectations for digital platforms and helps protect Australians online.
This Act establishes new online safety expectations. It applies to designated digital platforms. These platforms must address online risks. They must also protect users, especially children. The Act also establishes the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. This office has powers to enforce the new expectations. The Act commenced on 31 July 2021.
Why it matters
Businesses using digital platforms need to understand their obligations. This Act impacts how platforms operate and manage online risks. It's important for directors and compliance officers to be aware of these changes.
AI-assisted summary, grounded in the source link below. Generated 2026-05-23 via gemma3:12b.
Summary
Federal online safety regime. eSafety Commissioner administers Basic Online Safety Expectations (BOSE), cyberbullying scheme (children + adults), image-based abuse, illegal + restricted content + industry codes covering 8 sections.
Topics
Administered by
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2021A00076/latest. Rules Mate summarises and links; we don't republish full statutory text. Always verify against the live source before acting.