The first of eSafety’s new Online Safety Advisory series warns chatbots are exposing children to unmoderated conversations which may encourage or reinforce harmful thoughts and behaviours.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says most AI-driven chatbots are not designed with safety in mind and children are not developmentally ready for the risks.

“AI companions can share harmful content, distort reality and give advice that is dangerous,” she says.

“In addition, they are often designed to encourage ongoing interaction, which can feel ‘addictive’ and lead to overuse and even dependency.”

Inman Grant says it’s time Big Tech moved on from the era of ‘moving fast and breaking things’, especially when it come to the nation’s children.

“The industry must embrace Safety by Design as an immediate priority to anticipate risks and ensure products are safe from the outset," she says.

In the meantime, Inman Grant says eSafety offers information, support and advice through eSafety.gov.au, which includes its new Online Safety Advisories.

eSafety’s Online Safety Advisories will provide fast and expert-driven insights into emerging online risks and offer clear and practical support to help Australians the challenges of digital wellbeing, especially parents, carers, educators, and policymakers.

“Keeping up with emerging online risks can be challenging for parents and carers,” Inman Grant says.

It’s why the Online Safety Advisories will provide expert guidance that is practical, timely, and easy to apply, she continues. Families can use the advice to make informed choices about their children’s digital lives.

“The digital world should be a place for exploration and connection, not exploitation,” the eSafety Commissioner explains.

“Online safety isn’t just about avoiding harm. It is also about having the right information to navigate these technologies with confidence, and while education and awareness are critical, the burden of online safety must not fall solely on parents and individuals.

“We need a holistic approach to online safety, one that doesn’t just rely on parents to monitor every digital interaction.”

The companies profiting from these technologies, she says, must do more to build safety into their platforms from the start, rather than applying fixes after harm has occurred.

The first Online Safety Advisory can be found here.