Australia Passes Digital Duty of Care Bill Through House

Australia’s House of Representatives passed the Digital Duty of Care bill on October 28, following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s speech the previous day. The bill would establish online safety measures for social media, games, apps and chatbots.

The proposal would ban AI chatbots designed to create “emotional intimacy” with users and replace existing online standards for harmful content. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the content rules would cover material encouraging misogyny, terrorism, suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. The bill would also require social media platforms to offer an easy-to-access opt-out from algorithmically suggested content.

The bill now goes to the Senate for debate in the coming weeks. The government hopes it will pass by the end of the year, but support from other parties remains uncertain. The Greens back the proposal; the Coalition and One Nation oppose it, calling it an “Orwellian” censorship system. Labor says it remains open to amendments.

The proposal follows Australia’s 2025 ban on social media for under-16s. The source also cites recent Chinese rules restricting AI-generated romantic companions, including virtual relationships with minors. It reports an American Psychological Association survey in which 49% of adult AI users said they had talked with AI as a friend, while 47% said they had used it as if it were a mental health professional. The survey had 3,132 respondents.