Australia moves to ban AI chatbots from simulating emotional intimacy with kids

A digital duty of care bill cleared the House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate, with penalties of up to approximately $109.2 million on the table Australia wants AI chatbots to stop trying to be your kid’s best friend. The federal government is pushing to outlaw chatbots designed to build “emotional intimacy” with children. The measure is part of the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026, which passed the House of Representatives on October 28 and now heads to the Senate. The move follows a pointed speech from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He raised concerns about children who see AI agents as their “best friend.” What the bill actually does The legislation was introduced on October 15, 2026. It cleared the lower house in just under two weeks, which counts as brisk by parliamentary standards. At its core, the bill creates a broad “digital duty of care” for online services. Platforms would carry a legal responsibility to make their services safer for users, with particular focus on children. That duty would replace the existing industry standards. Today, much of the work rests on codes the industry helped shape. Under the bill, a single, comprehen...