A push is building in Australia to expand the incoming social media ban for children under 16 so that it also covers AI chatbots, amid concerns that digital companions could expose young people to serious psychological and safety risks. The article highlights fears that AI chatbots, which are increasingly being used by young people as substitutes for real-life relationships, may reinforce harmful thoughts, deepen isolation or even assist dangerous behaviour if left insufficiently regulated.
One young user, Mia Anastasia, says she understands that her AI chatbot “isn’t a human” but still uses it regularly because she believes it can offer a form of emotional understanding. “I do think it can understand someone deeply,” she said. Experts warn, however, that this sense of connection can be misleading. Professor Jeannie Paterson, co-director of the University of Melbourne’s Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, said AI companions can act too much like a mirror, agreeing with and encouraging users in ways that may intensify troubling ideas. “It tends to agree with you, or encourage you, and the conversation gets more and more wild, more and more delusional,” she said.
The article places Independent MP Kate Chaney at the centre of the campaign to broaden child protections. Chaney argues that Australia should act early rather than repeat the mistakes made with social media regulation, where governments are now trying to respond after years of harm. “Now is the chance to get ahead of the curve on AI and not be mopping up the damage in 15 years time,” she said. Her position is that AI chatbots should be treated as a serious emerging risk for children, not as a fringe issue to be addressed only after problems become widespread.
Opposition communications spokesperson Sarah Henderson also expressed concern, saying “AI can take kids to really dark places”. The article points to developments in the United States, where families affected by mass shootings are taking OpenAI to court, alleging ChatGPT played a role in harmful events. Professor Edward Santow from the University of Technology Sydney said stronger safeguards are needed to ensure children do not become addicted to chatbot technology or pushed towards dangerous thinking.
Chaney is also uneasy about relying on overseas companies and foreign governments to shape the future of AI safety. Responding to Donald Trump’s executive order allowing the US government to assess powerful AI systems, she said, “Our future is being determined by a handful of American billionaires.”
Despite these concerns, the Australian government has rejected calls for a blanket ban on teenagers using AI chatbots. Communications Minister Anika Wells said existing laws already protect young people from AI-related harms. The debate now centres on whether those protections are enough, or whether Australia should take a tougher approach before AI companions become even more embedded in children’s lives.