The report presents how Australians use, trust and navigate the internet in 2026. The research involved Australian adults and small business owners and managers. It highlights that the internet is undoubtedly essential infrastructure, much like water and electricity. However, with increased reliance on the internet also comes challenges and new opportunities.

As trust in institutions declines, digital lives are accelerating division, amplifying misinformation and making it harder for citizens to find common ground. This paper argues that tackling these challenges requires rebuilding the information supply chain that underpins democracy. It sets out a program for the British government to build a more resilient information ecosystem.

This report builds on earlier research and provides an updated national picture of exposure to fringe and radical content and groups among a large sample of online Australians. The report shows that fringe and radical content remains readily available on mainstream social media platforms and that Australian internet users are regularly exposed to violent content.

Face Forward provides free real-time protection from technology-facilitated gender-based violence for women and gender-diverse people in public life across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. The second report marks a significant expansion of the initiative and a deepening of the patterns observed the previous month.

This paper reviews the impacts of social media use on young people and then explores trends in how they use social media. It analyses the associations between social media use and academic outcomes and skills. It discusses how policy can support young people in making the most of social media’s many opportunities, while protecting them.