Online Safety Codes and Standards complaints

On this page:

• About the industry codes and standards
• What you can make a complaint about
• Before you make an industry codes or standards complaint
• How to make an industry codes or standards complaint to eSafety
• What eSafety does with your complaint
• Reporting online content to have it removed

Unlawful Material Codes and Standards

The Consolidated Industry Codes of Practice for the Online Industry (Class 1A and Class 1B Material) apply to six sections of the online industry:

• Social media services – services that enable online social interactions between users, discovery of other users and posting of content.
• App distribution services – services that enable users to download third-party apps or software online.
• Internet carriage services – services that enable users to access the internet through telecommunications infrastructure (internet service providers).
• Hosting services – services that store material provided on websites.
• Equipment providers – manufacturers, suppliers, installers and maintainers of electronic equipment which facilitates access to the internet.
• Search engine services – services that enable users to search an index of websites and receive search results (including results generated by artificial intelligence).

The Unlawful Material Codes for social media services, app distribution services, internet carriage services, hosting services and equipment providers commenced on 16 December 2023.

The Unlawful Material Codes for internet search engine services commenced on 12 March 2024.

The Relevant Electronic Services Standard (Unlawful Material) and Designated Internet Services Standard (Unlawful Material) apply to two sections of the online industry:

• Relevant electronic services. This includes services that enable end-users to communicate with each other by email, instant messaging, short message services (SMS), multimedia message services (MMS) or chat services. It also includes services that enable end-users to play online games with each other, and online dating services.
• Designated internet services. This includes services that allow end-users to access online material, or services that deliver material to persons who have internet-enabled equipment appropriate for receiving that material. Designated internet services include many apps and websites, as well as file and photo storage services, and some services which deploy or distribute generative artificial intelligence (AI) models. Designated internet services do not include social media services, relevant electronic services and other identified services are excluded from this category.

The Unlawful Material Standards for relevant electronic services and designated internet services commenced on 22 December 2024.

Complaints about possible non-compliance with industry codes and standards can now be made for all eight sections.

Age-Restricted Material Codes

The Consolidated Industry Codes of Practice for the Online Industry (Class 1C and Class 2 Material) apply to all eight sections of the online industry:

• Social media services
• App distribution services
• Internet carriage services
• Hosting services
• Equipment providers
• Search engine services
• Relevant electronic services
• Designated internet services.

The Age-Restricted Material Codes for internet carriage services, hosting services and search engine services came into effect on 27 December 2025. Age assurance requirements under the Search Engine Services Code (Age-Restricted Material) will come into effect on 27 June 2026.

The Age-Restricted Material Codes for app distribution services, social media services, relevant electronic services, equipment providers and designated internet services will come into effect starting on 9 March 2026. Age assurance requirements under the App Distribution Services Code (Age-Restricted Material) will come into effect on 9 September 2026.

Note: Where a social media service includes a messaging feature, the Social Media Services (Core Features) Online Safety Code (Class 1C and Class 2 Material) and the Social Media Services (Messaging Features) Online Safety Code (Class 1C and Class 2 Material) are to be treated as a single industry code that will apply to that service.

You can make a complaint to us about any potential non-compliance with the Online Safety Codes and Standards. A service may not be complying with an industry code or standard if:

• you encountered unlawful material (such as child sexual abuse material) on the service – although individual examples of illegal content on an online service does not mean the provider has breached an industry code or standard
• a child encountered age-restricted material (such as online pornography, high-impact violence material or self-harm material) on certain service – although individual examples of age-restricted content on an online service does not mean the provider has breached an industry code
• a child can access services with a sole or predominant purpose of enabling access to age-restricted material (such as online pornography)
• you could not find sufficient safety features, tools, or acceptable use policies or terms of service
• you could not find safety information on the use of the service
• you made a complaint to the service in relation to unlawful or restricted material or possible non-compliance with an industry code or standard and it was not resolved, and/or responded to
• you were unable to make a complaint, or report content and/or misuse to the service.

You should consider making a complaint directly to the service about non-compliance with an industry code or standard, if you have not already done so. Reporting a complaint to the service can be the fastest way to resolve issues, if the service allows reports. You can find direct links for many services in The eSafety Guide.

You can fill out our Online Safety Codes and Standards complaint form if you think a service is not complying with an industry code or standard. 

Please note that eSafety is only able to Online Safety Codes and Standards complaints from Australian residents and companies operating in Australia. If you are not in Australia you may find some help through your local authorities or an international organisation.

START COMPLAINT

eSafety can assess compliance with an Online Safety Code or Standard and take enforcement action for non-compliance.

The Online Safety Codes and Standards require service providers to take certain steps to reduce the risk of unlawful and highly harmful material on their services. Individual examples of illegal content on an online service does not mean the provider has breached an online safety code or standard. However, Online Safety Codes and Standards complaints can help eSafety to identify potential non-compliance by a service and understand wider issues around compliance with the Online Safety Codes and Standards, so we can help to keep Australians safer online.