Australian government moves to ban chatbots encouraging children's emotional intimacy
Australia's government is moving to ban AI chatbots from encouraging "emotional intimacy," especially with children.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is worried about children forming close bonds with bots, so this new rule is part of a bigger push to keep online spaces safer, covering everything from social media and games to apps and chatbots.
Digital duty of care passes House
The digital duty of care bill just passed the House of Representatives on October 28, 2026.
Besides targeting emotionally engaging bots, it would also limit harmful content (think terrorism topics) and make sure users can opt out of algorithm-driven feeds.
The Greens support the move, but there is some pushback from the Coalition.
Next up: more debate in the Senate, with hopes to pass it by year's end.