Australia unveils anti-bullying strategy amid concerns over AI chatbots hurting children

Australia’s Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, has issued a warning against AI chatbots bullying children and even encouraging them to take their own lives.

For that reason, the Australian government is deeply concerned about the ongoing trend, and the federal education minister said artificial intelligence was “supercharging” bullying.

Meanwhile, the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine are suing OpenAI, the company behind the popular platform, alleging it encouraged their son to take his own life.

The company issued an official statement after the Raine family filed the complaint, acknowledging the limitations of its models when it came to addressing people's concerns related to emotional and mental distress.

In this connection, the minister announced new anti-bullying measures, including requiring schools to take action against bullying incidents within 48 years and requiring teachers to receive specialist training and tools to deal with bullying.

Cyberbullying has surged by more than 450% among young people between 2019 and 2024.

AI chatbots are continuously posing a terrifying new form of online bullying and preventing it is one of the prime motivations behind the federal government’s incoming social media ban for under 16s.

This ban is necessitating direct government intervention and is set to come into force on December 10.