Australia Seeks Tech Support for Online Safety Rules and AI Standards

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Tim Cook in California as he sought technology-industry support for stronger online child-safety rules. During the trip, Albanese said Australia plans to introduce national AI standards by the end of 2026.

The meeting connected two government efforts at different stages: a draft Digital Duty of Care for online services and a developing framework for artificial intelligence. Albanese argued that Australia needs major technology companies to help protect children from online harm.

A draft duty for digital services

The government released the draft legislation for targeted consultation on September 8. It would require digital providers to provide a safe online environment, document measures addressing identified risks to Australian users, and keep those measures effective over time. The government plans to introduce legislation to Parliament after the consultation process.

The proposal’s most visible consumer measure, called My Feed, My Way, would require platforms to offer users a choice. They could keep a default feed that includes personalized recommendations or opt out of personally recommended content and see posts from accounts they follow. Failure to comply could bring penalties of up to A$109.2 million.

The proposed duty would extend to

• Social platforms, which would need to offer the feed-choice notification and respect a user’s selected default feed.
• Online games, apps and AI chatbots, which would need protections for under-18s against specified harmful design features and content.

Australia can’t do it alone.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

The separate AI track

The planned AI standards are intended to cover safety, security, environmental and industrial requirements. Australia has also proposed requiring companies involved in large-scale AI training to report defined safety incidents to authorities. Albanese has called for international cooperation and common rules to keep humans in control of AI development.

One law in force, two next steps

Australia has already enacted a ban on social-media use by children under 16. The new Digital Duty of Care remains a draft awaiting consultation and parliamentary action, while the AI standards and incident-reporting proposal are still being developed. Albanese’s outreach puts technology companies at the center of both next moves, but neither has yet become an operating AI rule.