Julie Inman Grant, the head of Australia’s eSafety Commission, says she faces constant online abuse, including threats of death and rape, as a result of her role regulating major social media platforms.
The 57-year-old official oversees online safety rules that apply to some of the world’s largest tech companies, including Meta, Snapchat and YouTube.
Her most high-profile task has been enforcing a new law that bans Australians under the age of 16 from using social media.
The law took effect on December 10 and applies to ten platforms. It has drawn international attention and strong reactions at home.
Many parents support the move, saying it helps them control their children’s online lives.
Critics argue the ban could isolate young people, especially those in rural areas, children with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ teens who rely on online spaces for support.
Technology companies have also raised concerns, though they say they will follow the law.
Inman Grant says delaying access to social media can help children develop better judgment and resilience.
She compares online safety to learning how to swim, saying children need skills to handle risks such as predators and scams. While she initially had doubts about a full ban, she later supported it while helping shape how it would be enforced.
At home, the policy has been tested by her own family. She has three children, including 13-year-old twins, and believes limits on social media can protect young people from having mistakes shared widely online.
Born in Seattle in the United States, Inman Grant grew up near major tech companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.
After early work advising a US lawmaker on telecommunications, she joined Microsoft and later moved to Australia. She became an Australian citizen and went on to work at Twitter and Adobe.
She was appointed eSafety Commissioner by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Since then, she has expanded the agency’s powers, increased its staff, and boosted its budget. While her work has received support across political parties in Australia, it has also drawn criticism overseas, particularly in the United States.
Her office has dealt with cases involving livestreamed violence and threats linked to artificial intelligence. Inman Grant has warned that harmful online content can influence and radicalize users.
She now sees AI-related risks as the next major challenge in online safety.
After nearly ten years in the role, Inman Grant says she may step down next year but plans to continue working on online safety, including helping other countries develop similar regulations.
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