Australia's House passes bill banning emotional intimacy between AI chatbots and children
10/28/2026 — 10/29, 04:19·2 sources (all)·2 reports (all)
Key takeaways
- On October 28, Australia's House of Representatives passed the Digital Online Safety Standards Bill, which includes an amendment, introduced…
Background & analysis
On October 28, 2026, The Guardian reported that Australia's Labor government plans to ban AI chatbots that deliberately create “emotional intimacy”, under digital attention duties. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had earlier warned in a speech that children were treating these agents as their “best friend”.
The report also notes that a related online safety standards bill has already passed the House of Representatives, and that the government is under pressure to empower the telecommunications ombudsman to act as a regulator for social media and AI. The proposal remains at the discussion stage, with no clear timeline for follow-up legislation. The Guardian did not provide further details on the definitions, scope, or enforcement mechanisms of the proposed ban, nor on the timing of any parliamentary votes beyond the bill's passage in the lower house.
AI-generated from 1 reports · updated 15 hours ago
Latest turnAustralia's House of Representatives passed a digital duty-of-care bill on Wednesday, 28 October that would bar AI chatbots from building "emotional intimacy" with children, The Next Web reported, citing The Guardian. The chatbot rule came through amendments from independent MP Kate Chaney, and the bill now goes to the Senate.
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Australia's House of Representatives passed a digital duty-of-care bill on Wednesday, 28 October that would bar AI chatbots from building "emotional intimacy" with children, The Next Web reported, citing The Guardian. The chatbot rule came through amendments from independent MP Kate Chaney, and the bill now goes to the Senate.
The Next WebAI score 52
Australia's Labor government plans to ban AI chatbots that seek to create "emotional intimacy," after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned in a speech about children treating such agents as their "best friend." The online safety standards bill has passed the lower house, as Labor faces pressure to expand the telecommunications ombudsman into a social media and AI watchdog.
The Guardian · AIAI score 63
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