Protection of Minors from Harmful Internet Content

Abstract

The Internet provides access to speech both conventional and unconventional. Some speech is considered harmful to minors. This chapter discusses the important social issue of how to best protect minors from such speech without violating the free speech rights of adults. It examines the Australian experience, one that has relevance to other relatively open societies like those found in North America and Europe. It concludes that the Australian regulatory framework has limited success in protecting minors from harmful Internet content and it risks compromising the free rights of adults.