Australian regulator receives death threats after social media age ban
09:52, 29/04/2026, WednesdayU: Update: 10:43, 29/04/2026, Wednesday
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Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has revealed she faced a barrage of death threats and online abuse following the nation's landmark decision to prohibit social media access for children under 16. The regulator disclosed that tech mogul Elon Musk's public criticism triggered an avalanche of 75,000 toxic posts within a single day, including doxxing and deepfake attacks targeting her family.
Julie Inman Grant, who leads Australia's digital safety oversight body, disclosed the severity of attacks she endured following the implementation of world-first legislation restricting minors' access to social networking platforms. Speaking at a gender equality forum alongside former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the commissioner detailed how the threats escalated dramatically after the under-16 ban took effect. The abuse included coordinated campaigns of intimidation that raised serious questions about the safety of public officials in the digital age.
Tech giant's public condemnation
The harassment intensified significantly following remarks by X platform owner Elon Musk, who publicly branded Inman Grant a
censorship commissar
. Within twenty-four hours of his statement, approximately seventy-five thousand posts flooded her online presence, with the majority containing toxic content, harmful rhetoric, and credible threats against her life. The incident highlights the substantial impact that influential technology figures can have in mobilizing digital mobs against regulatory authorities.Family vulnerability and gendered attacks
Beyond personal threats, the commissioner revealed she became victim to doxxing campaigns and fabricated deepfake imagery, much of it carrying gendered hostility. Her primary concern centered on the exposure of her children's identities and private information, forcing her to evaluate whether her professional duties were compromising her family's physical security. Inman Grant emphasized that women assuming leadership positions in regulatory frameworks increasingly face dangers comparable to elected politicians, yet lack equivalent state protection.
Expanded digital safeguards
Despite the intimidation, the eSafety chief affirmed her commitment to enforcing online protection measures, stating that such aggression would not deter her mission. Her office recently issued binding transparency directives to major gaming corporations including Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Steam, responding to evidence that predators and extremist networks exploit these virtual environments. Australia pioneered the under-16 social media prohibition last year, prompting numerous other nations to consider similar protective measures for adolescent mental health and developmental wellbeing.