Australian children and teens frequently use AI chatbots for support and companionship, with 78% of 10-17 year-olds surveyed having engaged with these platforms. While chatbots can aid learning, they also pose risks, including exposure to harmful content and emotional manipulation. Current protections focus on blocking harmful material, but may not address long-term interaction risks. The proposed digital duty of care bill aims to strengthen safeguards, though its effectiveness against sustained chatbot interactions remains uncertain. Experts suggest the bill should be amended to require comprehensive risk assessment and management by tech companies.
Indigenous translators and illustrators in the Northern Territory have worked with the Australian Federal Police to create two picture books on online child safety. The books are written in Western Arrarnta and Old Tiwi. Translator Maxine Malbunka says children in her community have encountered unsafe people online. The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received more than 100,000 reports of online child sexual exploitation in the past financial year, a 21 per cent rise. Digital versions of the books are available on the centre's website.
Four men have been arrested and charged with a combined 57 child exploitation offences after co-ordinated searches across Brisbane and far north Queensland. Police allege one man was caught downloading disturbing material. Detective Acting Inspector Les Lucas urged caregivers to regularly talk with children about their online activity. He said children should know they can turn to a trusted adult if they feel unsafe. Three men were remanded in custody, and a fourth was bailed to appear before a court in December.
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Australia's online safety regulator has warned that AI-powered "nudify" apps are being used to create sexual images of children. Julie Inman Grant told a parliamentary inquiry in Sydney that these apps are downloaded by Australians more than 200,000 times a month. Her office has taken legal enforcement action against eight such apps and services. She warned that organised crime groups are using voice and face cloning in sextortion schemes targeting young Australian boys and men. She called for stronger regulation and greater powers for regulators, saying AI companies should not mark their own homework.
Australia's eSafety commissioner will warn a federal parliamentary inquiry that children are at risk from AI deepfakes. The watchdog has helped schools respond to incidents of teenage boys creating sexualised AI images of girls. It has also taken action against AI nudify services, with eight programs withdrawing access or introducing age restrictions. However, the commission admits it has limited power to address non-sexual deepfakes that may still cause distress.
Crossbench senator Jacqui Lambie has accused One Nation of stirring hatred and pushing the country towards anarchy. The criticism follows a cartoon, shared by party leader Pauline Hanson, that mocked Lambie's prolapsed vagina while targeting the government's proposed digital duty of care. The video portrays the legislation, introduced last week, as an attack on free speech. Lambie said she had not asked for the cartoon to be removed but expected people around Hanson to act. She defended the bill as a way to keep children safe on social media.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised Jacqui Lambie for speaking openly about her struggles with vaginal prolapse. Politicians across the spectrum have condemned a One Nation cartoon that mocked the condition. The cartoon, part of Pauline Hanson's Please Explain series, depicted Lambie making a crude sound effect about the health condition. Lambie said going public did not make her health fair game and that the cartoon mocked women who have reproductive health issues. Hanson told Lambie to get over it and lighten up, saying the cartoon was satirical.
Communications minister Anika Wells has introduced Labor's Digital Duty of Care Bill, draft legislation that amends the Online Safety Act, and it has been sent to committee. NSW Premier Chris Minns has placed armed police with automatic rifles on Sydney beaches under a social cohesion squad. Discretionary trust reform is also headed to committee, with the top 2 per cent facing a 30 per cent rate. Meta has settled a $17 billion case over its algorithms.
One Nation has released a new Please Explain cartoon that mocks Senator Jacqui Lambie's health condition. The clip targets the government's Digital Duty of Care bill, which aims to regulate online safety, algorithms and digital platforms. In it, an animated Lambie refers to her prolapsed vagina while reacting to the bill. The cartoon also pokes fun at veteran Andrew Hastie, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Comments on the video were largely positive. Lambie was not available for comment, and NewsWire cannot verify whether negative comments were removed.
Australian Federal Police commissioner Krissy Barrett has warned that AI chatbots are not a sufficient replacement for human support for children. Her comments followed an Adelaide University study finding that more than one in three Australian children turn to chatbots for support after being sexually victimised online, or tell nobody at all. Around half of Australian children aged 10 to 17 who use AI turn to it for personal and social reasons.
Communications Minister Anika Wells told the National Press Club she would consider letting individuals and groups take action under the Digital Duty of Care through the courts, a right she said had worked in the United States. She described the eSafety Commissioner as doing strong enforcement work but carrying a heavy load. Wells said she intends to negotiate in good faith with the Greens to pass the legislation through the Senate, while the Coalition has not committed to supporting it.
The Communications Minister has introduced Australia's Digital Duty of Care into Parliament. The proposed law would require online platforms to provide a safe environment and protect under-18s from harmful content, including material promoting eating disorders, glorifying crime and encouraging bullying. Platforms would also need to assess risks from features such as algorithmic feeds and endless scroll before launching them. The minister said the law would let researchers and regulators use test accounts to check compliance.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says she has dropped ministerial powers to declare new harms under the digital duty of care bill. Under the changes, she would bring an amendment to the Online Safety Act when a new serious harm needs declaring, and Parliament would consider it. Wells said she expected a Senate inquiry and hoped the bill could pass before the end of the year. The bill will be introduced to Parliament today, along with a private health rebate change.
New legislation giving social media users greater control over what they see online will be introduced to Parliament today, Communications Minister Anika Wells said. Companies that fail to meet the rules could face compliance action from the eSafety Commissioner, with fines of $109 million, which can accumulate across breaches. Wells said the aim is to place responsibility for online harm on tech companies rather than parents and teachers.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says the Coalition is worried about One Nation and that she remains open to amendments to the online safety bill. She argues the bill would make tech platforms assess risks on their services, backed by higher fines. Wells says she is considering Greens proposals for higher penalties and a private right to sue. She also said her 2025 Adelaide trip was fully disclosed to the expenses authority, which audited it.
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The Albanese Government has introduced the Digital Duty of Care law to Parliament, making tech companies accountable for safety on their platforms. The law would set minimum safety standards for games, apps and AI chatbots, and require platforms to protect under-18s from harmful material and features. Social media users aged over 16 would be able to choose whether to see recommended content or only accounts they follow. Failure to comply could attract penalties of up to $109.2 million. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the reforms reflect strong public support for online safety.
Labor is open to giving Australians the right to sue tech companies over online harms under new digital safety laws. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government would consider a Greens proposal for individual legal action. The bill requires online services to protect underage users from harmful content and would let users over 16 turn off algorithmic recommendations. The Coalition opposes the bill, with Sarah Henderson calling it a dog's breakfast and warning it could limit free speech. The bill has been sent to a Senate inquiry due to report before parliament rises at the end of November.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has introduced Labor's digital duty of care bill into parliament. The bill amends the Online Safety Act and requires online service providers, including social media platforms, websites, games and messaging apps, to provide a safe environment. Platforms must act to protect Australians from seriously harmful material and conduct, and protect children from harms such as bullying and material promoting disordered eating. The bill will now go to a Senate inquiry, with a report expected before the end of the year.
Communications minister Anika Wells says Australians can still listen to manosphere podcasts or claim the moon landing was fake under proposed online safety laws. She rejected claims the laws would lead to government censorship, saying they target what platforms do rather than what people say. The digital duty of care laws were introduced into parliament on Thursday and would apply to platforms including social media, online games, apps and chatbots. Opposition figures, including Liberal frontbencher James Paterson, have accused Labor of seeking to control speech. The bill will go to a Senate inquiry, reporting back in late November.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has introduced her amended Digital Duty of Care bill to the House of Representatives. Labor's majority in the lower house means it is expected to face little opposition there. The bill must still pass the Senate, where the Greens want stronger measures, including a right for individuals to seek compensation from tech companies. The Coalition opposes the bill, with Liberal frontbencher James Paterson calling it unsalvageable. The bill would require big tech companies to reduce online harm, including by letting users opt out of social media feed algorithms.
