Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, is leading the implementation of a groundbreaking social media ban for children under 16, a move that has garnered widespread parental support but also sparked intense debate over online safety and freedom. As the world watches this Australian experiment, Inman Grant navigates personal threats, legal challenges, and global scrutiny while advocating for stronger digital protections.
Julie Inman Grant, the 57-year-old head of Australia’s eSafety Commission, finds herself on the frontlines of internet regulation after decades in the private tech industry. Her office, tasked with overseeing online safety, regularly deals with a barrage of death and rape threats, highlighting the volatile nature of her role. Inman Grant’s transition from tech insider to regulator has made her one of Australia’s most prominent bureaucrats, but it has also made her a target for abuse and controversy. She has been doxxed by neo-Nazi groups and publicly clashed with figures like Elon Musk, reflecting the high-stakes environment of her work.
Central to her current mission is enforcing Australia’s pioneering social media ban, which prohibits children under 16 from accessing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. The legislation, which came into force on 10 December, applies to ten major platforms and aims to protect young users from online harms. While many parents support the ban as a tool to help manage children’s screen time, critics argue that it may be unenforceable and could disproportionately affect marginalized groups, such as rural, disabled, or LGBTQI+ youth who rely on online communities. Technology experts and child wellbeing advocates emphasize education over prohibition, questioning the ban’s effectiveness.
Inman Grant acknowledges the ban’s challenges but believes it is worth exploring as a means to delay children’s entry into social media and build their digital resilience. She often uses water safety analogies to explain her approach, comparing online risks to “algorithmic rips” and predators like “sharks online.” Interestingly, she initially opposed a blanket ban, favoring education over prohibition, but was persuaded to support the policy after discussions on its implementation. Her role has been central in shaping which companies are included and how they must comply, with her own home serving as a “laboratory” for testing the ban’s impact on her three children.
The eSafety Commissioner’s position has drawn international attention and conflict. Inman Grant is resisting a request from the US Congress to testify about the ban, with Republican House judiciary chair Jim Jordan threatening her with contempt charges. She maintains that her focus is on implementation, not policy defense, and stresses that Australia’s actions do not affect content shown to Americans. Legal battles loom large, as she prepares to defend the ban in Australia’s High Court against challenges from Reddit and a pair of Australian teens, while also pursuing companies that breach online safety laws.
Past incidents underscore the personal risks Inman Grant faces. In 2024, after a bishop was stabbed in Sydney during a livestreamed service, she asked X to remove the video, leading to a public feud with Elon Musk. A Columbia University report found she was targeted by tens of thousands of abusive posts, including death threats, following this dispute. She notes that such content can normalize violence, citing a UK case where the same video was linked to a fatal stabbing. This experience has reinforced her commitment to taking a stand against harmful online material.
Looking ahead, Inman Grant is shifting her attention to artificial intelligence, warning that the world must not repeat the delays seen with social media regulation. She believes AI poses a more pressing threat and advocates for proactive safety measures. However, with her second five-year term ending next year, she hints at stepping down, suggesting it may be time to pass the reins to someone else. Despite this, she remains dedicated to her career-long mission of making the tech world safer, potentially by helping other governments establish online safety regulations.
Inman Grant’s tenure has seen the eSafety Commission’s budget quadruple and its influence expand, championed by politicians across the spectrum. Former colleagues praise her resilience in a fast-moving regulatory space, noting that the office has become increasingly relevant. As Australia positions itself as a leader in online safety, Inman Grant’s work highlights the complex balance between protection and freedom in the digital age, with implications for global tech policy and child welfare.
