Calls for eSafety Commissioner to have tougher powers to stop online predators

Parents are being warned about what vile predators are doing with their kid’s innocent social media photos – and how the government can’t do anything about it.

Images of young Australian girls are being stolen and posted on social media sites where creepy predators discuss their sick rape fantasies.

And, a new law brought in last year to help protect Australians online is shockingly inadequate to stop it.

One picture of a little girl sitting on a kitchen bench with her legs crossed, was re-posted on a Twitter account with the hashtags #cutegirls, #suddenseduction, #dreamgf (dreamgirlfriend), as well as a hashtag with her name.

She is eight in the photo.

One vile follower commented, ‘I wanna force those tiny little legs open [devil emoji]’.

Despite the eSafety Commissioner being alerted to the post within hours of it going up, the investigations team found the material and comments were not prohibited content under the Online Safety Act 2021.

The Twitter account user who was posting a steady stream of pictures of young girls – mostly pre-pubescent – saw its followers jump by 2500 overnight to more than 8357.

There are thousands of accounts like it popping up on social media sites.

Lyn Swanson Kennedy, who tracks down paedophiles online on behalf of Collective Shout, a campaign group fighting against the sexualisation of girls, said the eSafety body was failing Australians.

“According to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, the words ‘I wanna force those tiny little legs open’ made in response to a (likely stolen and shared without consent) image of an eight year old Australian girl is not prohibited under the new federal Online Safety Act,” Ms Swanson Kennedy said.

“We would like to know if the eSafety Commissioner endorses this response.”

Lyn Swanson Kennedy, of Perth, who tracks down paedophiles online for campaign group Collective Shout.

The picture of the girl, was originally posted on a parent-managed Instagram account which was shutdown several years ago.

The girl, now thought to be aged 12 who we are not naming to protect her, has a new account, with a following of nearly 120,000, that includes lots of men.

Ms Swanson Kennedy warned parents that their child’s image could be copied just as easily.

She said images of children should be banned on social media because minors “do not have the capacity to give consent”.

A spokesman for the eSafety Commissioner said where content does not meet the threshold for action, it advises the complainant and may suggest alternative courses for redress – such as flagging material with the relevant platform as being in breach of their terms of service.

Last year eSafety investigators took action against more than 12,000 URLs providing access to child sexual exploitation material, including extremely graphic, violent and explicit content showing the sexual abuse and torture of children.

The office also works closely with police in Australia and overseas “in the prevention and deterrence of online child sexual exploitation”.

Former Liberal MP Lucy Wicks, who chaired an inquiry into social media earlier this year, said she was “sickened” by the post.

“We need to look at what more can be done from a legislative and regulation perspective to stop this happening,” she said. “This is not OK”.

The account has now been suspended due to individuals reporting the content to Twitter.

Anyone with concerns that a child is in danger should contact police on triple-0. Information about suspected perpetrators can be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Originally published as Calls for eSafety Commissioner to have tougher powers to stop online predators