Office of AI and duty of care face child safety call
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation has backed the Federal Government’s new AI framework, while urging ministers to build child safety into it from day one.
From 2027, a new Office of AI will oversee the framework. The Government has also set consumer safety priorities and is preparing a Digital Duty of Care.
According to the foundation, children face high-risk harms from AI. Those harms include inappropriate chatbots, extremist propaganda, and the misuse of children’s images and personal data.
It also welcomed a second tranche of Privacy Act reforms. In the foundation’s view, those changes should sit alongside safety-by-design rules for AI companies.
Sarah Davies AM
Sarah Davies AM, chief executive of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, called this a pivotal moment for AI governance in Australia.
“The safety and rights of children and young people must be built in from the start, not tacked on after harm has already been done,” Ms Davies said.
She pointed to Australia’s internet record as a warning. Australia joined the global internet in 1989, but the Online Safety Act did not arrive until 2021.
Even in 2021, that law had limited scope. Davies warned that Australia should not repeat that delay as AI moves into learning, play, communication and daily life.
Meanwhile, the foundation wants children and young people involved throughout policy development. It wants their participation included from the beginning to the end of the process.
Davies said children have already made one request clear. They want to know when content is AI-generated and when a human made it.
Following that feedback, the foundation wants child-friendly labels on AI content under the Digital Duty of Care. It argues that labels would reduce deception, impersonation and manipulation.
Without those safeguards, children may struggle to judge who, or what, they are interacting with online. The foundation says the framework should protect children in the digital spaces where they live, learn and play.
Davies also linked the AI debate to social media regulation. She said delays in online safety rules had already carried a devastating cost for children.
The group said the Government’s reforms mark a significant step forward. However, it said the real test will come when the Office of AI starts work in 2027.
