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Beyond the Filter

Beyond the Filter

Written by: Beyond the Filter
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 Beyond the Filter is a podcast about censorship. It includes censorship through laws, self-censorship, and corporate censorship. It includes censorship of art and fiction, censorship of political dissent, and censorship of self-expression, especially when it comes to sex and gender. It also looks at the reasons why we censor, the effects of censorship, and alternatives to censorship.Published by the Center for Online Safety and Liberty Inc Hygiene & Healthy Living Philosophy Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Beyond the Filter: Australia’s Under 16 Social Media Ban

    Beyond the Filter: Australia’s Under 16 Social Media Ban
    Jan 1 2026
    This episode discusses Australia’s groundbreaking social media minimum age law, which mandates that platforms block users under 16. The conversation explores the implications of this law on free expression, mental health, cyberbullying, and the responsibilities of both the government and parents. It also delves into the enforcement challenges and the potential impact on adult users’ privacy, while considering alternative approaches to protecting children online without infringing on their rights. Further reading for this episode Australian social media minimum-age law & age assurance Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 – Bill Digest, Parliament of Australia.Australian Government, Social Media Minimum Age – Fact Sheet (Infrastructure and Transport Dept, July 2025).Dept. of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Comms & Arts: Social media minimum age explainer (Infrastructure and Transport Dept)eSafety Commissioner: Social media age restrictions hub (eSafety Commissioner)OAIC: Social Media Minimum Age privacy guidance, including age assurance types (OAIC)eSafety: Age Assurance Issues Paper (July 2024, eSafety Commissioner)Age Assurance Technology Trial reports (Age Assurance Technology Trial) Prevalence of youth social-media use ACIL Allen / eSafety research: “Navigating the digital world: social media and the wellbeing of Australia’s youth” – 96% of 10–15-year-olds had used social media (ACIL Allen and eSafety Commissioner) Mental health & social media Sala et al., “Social Media Use and adolescents’ mental health and well-being: An umbrella review” (Current Opinion in Psychology, 2024).Blackwell et al., “Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health in the Digital Age” (J Adolescent Health, 2025).Kerr et al., “Problematic social media use and its relationship with depression or anxiety” (J Adolescent Health review context).Fassi et al., “Social media use in adolescents with and without mental health conditions” (Nature Human Behaviour, 2025).Barzilay et al., “Smartphone Ownership, Age of Smartphone Acquisition, and Health Outcomes” (Pediatrics, 2026). Cyberbullying Patchin & Hinduja, “2023 Cyberbullying Data” (Cyberbullying Research Center, Feb 2024).Pew Research Center, Teens and Cyberbullying (Pew Research Center, 2022).PACER bullying stats and tween cyberbullying data (PACER Center). Online child sexual exploitation & grooming Malcolm, “Against ‘chat control’: we can’t eliminate child abuse by eliminating privacy” (The Guardian, October 2025) NSPCC FOI analysis on “Sexual communication with a child” offences and platform breakdown (NSPCC).Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, Into the Light index + UNSW “More than 300 million child victims of online sexual abuse globally” explainer (CSA Centre).ACCCE / AFP releases on 41% increase and 82,764 reports (Australian Federal Police) Radicalisation & extremism online Europol, EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) 2023 & 2024–25 (Europol)RAN, Extremists’ use of gaming (adjacent) platforms and Online radicalisation papers (Migration and Home Affairs)Australian Parliament, Extremism and the online environment (Australian Parliament House Committee report citing ASIO). Age assurance & bias / effectiveness AATT reports + Senate Committee chapter on age assurance bias and teen thresholds (The Guardian)OAIC guidance and UK Ofcom statements on age assurance and age checks (Financial Times)Shaffique, “Behavioural profiling for age assurance: do the ends justify the means?” (International Data Privacy Law, 2025). Parental controls, parenting practices Family Online Safety Institute, Connected & Protected: Insights from FOSI’s 2025 Online Safety Survey (Family Online Safety Institute).Pew Research Center, Parents, Teens and Digital Monitoring (Pew Research Center, 2016).Kaspersky on parental-control uptake (~50%) (Kaspersky)HCI/CS studies on parental mediation & complexity (e.g. Yu et al. 2024 arXiv). Alternatives: age-appropriate design, targeted age checks, etc. UK ICO Children’s Code / Age-Appropriate Design Code (ICO).California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AB 2273) and commentary (Legislative Information)UK Online Safety Act explainer and age-assurance rules for pornography and harmful content (Financial Times). The post Beyond the Filter: Australia’s Under 16 Social Media Ban appeared first on Center for Online Safety and Liberty.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Beyond the Filter: Drawing the Line Watchlist

    Beyond the Filter: Drawing the Line Watchlist
    Dec 10 2025

    In this special edition of Beyond the Filter, hosts Brandy Brightman and Jeremy Malcolm present the global launch of the Drawing the Line Watchlist—a groundbreaking report examining how ten countries around the world are increasingly blurring the line between personal expression (art, fiction, advocacy, consensual adult material) and lived abuse involving real victims.

    Joined by three members of the project’s Advisory Board—Emma Shapiro, Ashley Remminga, and Zora Rush—this live podcast-webinar explores how censorship, moral panic, and poorly drafted laws are reshaping the digital landscape for artists, queer communities, and marginalized creators.

    Together, the panel unpacks:

    • Why fictional content is being conflated with real sexual abuse, and how law enforcement resources are being redirected away from crimes with actual victims
    • How artists, especially those depicting bodies or erotic themes, face uneven and often punitive moderation
    • The impact of moral panics on queer and trans fandom spaces, and the historical roots of these controversies
    • How AI systems struggle with context, nuance, and cultural bias—and what it means for sexual expression and safety online
    • Examples of global overreach, including prosecutions of artists, writers, and even teenagers for fictional material
    • Five key reforms governments should adopt to restore clarity, protect children, and uphold human rights

    Guests share on-the-ground insights from their domains—arts advocacy, queer cultural research, and responsible AI—while Jeremy previews the Watchlist’s findings, including startling shifts in enforcement patterns and international case studies.

    The conversation closes with actionable recommendations for policymakers, platforms, and civil society about how to genuinely keep children safe without eroding creative and queer expression.

    For the full report and the Drawing the Line Principles, visit: drawingthelineprinciples.org.

    You can also watch this episode as a webinar, with bonus live Q&A content.

    The post Beyond the Filter: Drawing the Line Watchlist appeared first on Center for Online Safety and Liberty.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Beyond the Filter: Fantasy Sexual Materials and Offending

    Beyond the Filter: Fantasy Sexual Materials and Offending
    Nov 1 2025

    Hosts Brandy and Jeremy talk with Dr. Craig Harper of Nottingham Trent University about his research on whether fantasy sexual materials—like AI-generated images, cartoons, or sex dolls—are linked to real-world offending.

    Dr. Harper explains that, despite common policy assumptions, there’s no evidence such materials increase risk. Across multiple studies, his team has found no connection between fictional sexual content and offending, and in some cases, higher sexual satisfaction may even relate to lower self-reported risk.

    He discusses the ethical limits of this research, why criminalization may target low-risk individuals, and how therapists can thoughtfully navigate disclosures about fantasy material use. Harper also addresses the backlash researchers face when data challenge moral intuitions, urging listeners to base prevention efforts on evidence, not instinct.

    The post Beyond the Filter: Fantasy Sexual Materials and Offending appeared first on Center for Online Safety and Liberty.
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    43 mins
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