How Australia can better protect children and young people from harm in the rapidly evolving online world will be the focus of a major public forum hosted by QUT next month.
New Eras in Online Safety: Building Healthy Societies for Future Generations will be held on Thursday 5 March as part of QUT Bold, the university's flagship series connecting the community with leading research addressing society's most pressing challenges.
The free event will feature a live panel discussion and Q&A.
Headlining the event is Distinguished Professor Ben Mathews from the QUT School of Law, a globally recognised expert in child abuse and violence against children.
For more than 25 years, Professor Mathews' research has helped shape major socio-legal reforms in Australia and internationally.
He led the landmark Australian Child Maltreatment Study and recently published the first national research identifying the prevalence, characteristics and health impacts of online sexual violence against children.
Joining Professor Mathews is Chanel Contos, the Founder and Executive Director of Teach Us Consent.
Ms Contos was the driving force behind national reforms introducing enhanced sexuality, consent and relationships education in Australian schools, and now, Teach Us Consent's Promoting Consent Initiative designs and delivers social media resources aiming to reduce all forms of sexual violence and promote healthy intimacy.
The third panellist is Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety Commissioner.
Ms Inman Grant has led the introduction of world-first regulatory frameworks and has also implemented the Australian Government's landmark social media minimum age legislation for under 16s, which commenced in December 2025.
With an estimated 1.8 billion adolescents aged 10 to 24 globally, including 4.6 million in Australia, the online environment is now central to how young people learn, socialise and form relationships.
While digital platforms create opportunities for connection and participation, they have also enabled new forms of harm, including gendered and sexual violence, extortion and bullying, and growing concerns about anxiety, dependence and wellbeing.
The forum will consider cutting-edge developments and explore how governments and communities can work together to build healthy and safe digital environments for young people.
It will also consider the implications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and the need for sustained vigilance and proactive public policy to ensure innovation goes hand in hand with public safety, including for children and young people.
The discussion will be moderated by National Children's Commissioner Deb Tsorbaris and hosted by QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil.
