‘Emotional intimacy’ from AI chatbots would be banned under Australia’s digital duty of care laws

Australia's House of Representatives passed a digital duty of care bill that bans AI chatbots from simulating emotional intimacy with children. The law requires tech platforms to prevent artificial agents from replacing human relationships and mandates an opt-out for recommendation algorithms. This establishes a legal framework that treats synthetic emotional bonds as a statutory harm for policy and psychological practice to address.

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