Part G – Parental Control

Parental control systems can be effectively applied in Australia. Trial participants demonstrated the capability to configure and enforce age-appropriate restrictions using family control centres, device settings, platform tools and account-linked supervision. These systems are mature, usable and well-suited to managing children's access in many contexts.

Most parental control systems focus on restriction rather than participation. While effective at limiting access, current tools offer limited accommodation for children's evolving capacity, privacy or ability to be heard - key rights relevant to digital engagement and autonomy.

Parental control is a proactive mechanism within layered assurance models. Unlike estimation or verification, parental control is configured before a child interacts with restricted content. It supports risk reduction through parental oversight and is especially useful in lower-risk, family-led environments.

Well-designed parental controls can generate strong contextual age signals. When tied to a managed device or child profile, parental controls can emit useful indicators of a user’s likely age range, supporting content moderation and gating in a privacy-respecting manner.

Effectiveness depends on accurate and engaged setup by caregivers. The reliability of controls as a proxy for age depends on how accurately they are configured. Misstatements, lack of understanding or social pressure can weaken the value of the emitted signals.

Parental controls enable private forms of access management. These systems allow services to apply restrictions without requiring direct age or identity verification. Signals like "child-supervised account" can enable safeguards while minimising personal data collection.

Contextual signals should not be reused without consent. Signals generated by parental controls are relevant to the specific platform and use case. Reuse across services without clear consent increases the risk of unintended profiling or data misuse.

Inclusivity and accessibility require ongoing attention. While systems were generally consistent across demographics, some families - particularly those with limited digital literacy or different caregiving models - may face challenges in setup and maintenance.

Parental control signals should not be treated as verified age data. These tools provide useful contextual input but do not meet the assurance standards required for regulatory compliance. International standards reinforce that they serve as supplementary, not standalone, indicators.

Platforms are seeking ways to integrate parental control signals. Trial participants reported demand from service providers to use parental control status in access logic. Developing shared formats could support safer and more consistent implementation across systems.