Melbourne, Dec 22: The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will introduce new restrictions on online chatrooms, websites and mobile phone content within a month, in a bid to prevent kids from watching unsuitable material.

The new laws will be in effect from Jan 20 and they would impose tougher rules for companies that sell entertainment-related content on subscription Internet sites and mobile phones.

Content service providers would have to make sure that those who access MA15-plus content are aged over 15 years and people accessing R18-plus and X18-plus content are over 18.

ACMA would be able to compel content providers to take down offensive material and issue notices for live content to be stopped and links to the content deleted.

Chris Chapman, ACMA chairman, said adults wouldn’t be affected by the new restrictions.

"In developing these new content rules, ACMA was guided by its disposition to allow adults to continue to read, hear and see what they want, while protecting children from exposure to inappropriate content, regardless of the delivery mechanism, " News.com.au quoted Chapman, as saying.

Providers of live services, such as chatrooms, must have their service professionally assessed to determine whether its ‘likely content" should be restricted.

Personal emails and other private communications would be excluded from the new laws and so would news or current affairs services. (ANI)