Podcast: Big tech put on notice over child safety

Posted on 13 Mar 2025

By Greg Thom, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

A robust and broad-based children’s online privacy code is essential to protect young Australians from the harmful effects of digital technology, according to the CEO of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Sarah Davies.

A long-time campaigner working to protect children from being preyed on by big tech companies, Davies told the Community Advocate podcast that an enforceable code would help prevent the commercial exploitation of children’s data.

Alannah and Madeline Foundation CEO Sarah Davies.

“Unless we have really good policy and legislation enforced in Australia, which stops the deliberate and intentional design of tech that is hurting our children, we’re never really going to be able to address the issue,” she said.

Davies said the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) had been given two years to develop a Children’s Online Privacy Code as part of a suite of reforms to the Privacy Act passed by Parliament last year.

“We think that [code] is the single biggest opportunity right now to re-write the rules of the game for all digital tech products that are likely to be used by children in Australia,” said Davies.

“Not just social media but education technology, health technology, advertising tech, games, wearables, the whole lot.

“And if you [tech companies] don’t meet the rules of the game, you can’t play. You can’t offer services in Australia that don’t protect children’s privacy and safety at the very core.”

Listen to the full interview with Sarah Davies on the Community Advocate podcast.