While the National Taskforce to Address Pornography has announced plans to restrict access to pornography for children under 17, it has also been confirmed that measures to include restrictions to certain social media and dark websites are also on the cards.
The team is looking at legislative action taken in Australia and other changes in the law that will give the Online Service Commission Act “more teeth”.
The move was confirmed by co-chair of the taskforce and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Communications, Manoa Kamikamica, who said the taskforce was expected to complete this work within 12 months.
Earlier the Ministry for Women, Children, and Social Protection issued a statement saying the taskforce discussed the formation of proposed laws during its second meeting earlier this week.
During the meeting, the Ministry for Women, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), presented a Gender Analysis of the Online Safety Act.
The session also featured a presentation by Director of Children’s Services Arieta Tagivetaua, who discussed the legal implications of creating, possessing, or trafficking child pornography under the Child Care and Protection Act 2024.
The taskforce has identified key action areas, including measures to restrict children’s access to pornographic content, strategies to reduce overall pornography consumption, and support for survivors.
Mr Kamikamica also noted that additional resources would be allocated to the police to combat cybercrime and prevent the spread of harmful content.
He pointed out that this issue had been neglected by the previous government, but the current administration is committed to tackling it head-on.
“The previous government did nothing on this national issue,” Mr Kamikamica said.
“The People’s Coalition has the political will to address this concern, which affects all of us.”
