Australia Flags Child Safety Gaps at Apple, Meta, Google Over Online Sexual Extortion

Australia’s online safety regulator has warned that major technology companies, including Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft and Snap, still have significant shortcomings in tackling child sexual abuse and the rising threat of online sexual extortion.

In its latest transparency report released Tuesday, the eSafety Commission said many digital platforms are failing to deploy widely available technologies capable of detecting known coercive language and behavioral patterns commonly used by online sexual extortion offenders. According to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, the regulator has repeatedly provided companies with evidence showing how criminals exploit their services, along with practical recommendations to reduce abuse, but meaningful action has remained limited.

The report comes as Australia intensifies efforts to strengthen online child protection. In June, the government introduced legislation that would expand eSafety’s authority to take legal action against technology companies that fail to comply with the country’s ban on social media access for children under 16. Australia was the first nation to introduce such restrictions, with the United Kingdom and several European countries now considering similar measures.

The latest review is the third in a four-part reporting program requiring eight technology platforms to disclose their compliance with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations. While previous reports focused on establishing benchmarks and identifying failures to detect abusive content, this edition centers on combating online sexual extortion.

Sexual extortion involves offenders threatening to share intimate images or videos unless victims meet their demands. Between July and December 2025, eSafety received more than 2,000 complaints related to these crimes, with young men aged 18 to 24 accounting for the largest share of victims. A separate eSafety study found that more than one in 10 Australians aged 16 to 18 had experienced sexual extortion, and over half were first targeted before turning 16.

Investigators found that offenders frequently reused the same manipulation tactics, yet many platforms failed to identify these patterns. The report also highlighted inadequate reporting systems on services such as WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord and Google Messages, making it harder for users to report child abuse or sexual extortion.

Despite the criticism, eSafety acknowledged some progress. Google and Snap have strengthened proactive detection of known child sexual abuse material, Discord has expanded blocking of abusive links, Meta introduced new grooming detection tools, and Microsoft enhanced its ability to detect live abuse during video calls.