Children's safety must be central to national AI framework
Alannah & Madeline Foundation
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation has welcomed the Federal Government’s new AI framework, calling for the safety, rights, and voices of children to be built into the reforms from day one.
Overseen by a new Office of AI from 2027, the Government’s forthcoming framework and consumer safety priorities mark a significant step forward. However, young people face distinct, high-risk harms from emerging technologies – including exposure to inappropriate chatbots, extremist propaganda, and the exploitation and misuse of their images and other personal data.
Children’s rights must be a core focus for the office of AI. Their participation needs to be a key feature throughout policy development.
The Foundation is encouraged that the pending Digital Duty of Care will place the onus on AI companies to build in safety by design and proactively address potential harms, and it welcomes the Government’s commitment to a second tranche of reforms to the Privacy Act.
Sarah Davies AM, CEO of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, said Australia was at a pivotal moment in AI governance.
“Australia has a genuine opportunity to lead the world on AI, and we welcome the Government’s ambition,” Ms Davies said, “but leadership means getting the foundations right. 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.
“We have been here before. Australia joined the global internet in 1989, but the Online Safety Act did not arrive until 2021, and even then, its scope was limited.
“A generation of children grew up online while the protections caught up. We cannot afford to make the same mistake with AI.
“Children and young people deserve to have a say in the decisions that shape the technology they will grow up with. Their participation needs to run throughout the policy development process, from beginning to end.
“Children have told us clearly that they want to know when something is AI generated and when it has been made by a human. Clear, child-friendly labelling of AI-generated content should be a basic requirement under a Digital Duty of Care, so children can understand what they are seeing and who, or what, they are interacting with. Without that clarity, children are more vulnerable to deception, impersonation and manipulation.”
The Foundation acknowledges the scale of what the Government is undertaking and the opportunity it presents, noting that the ultimate measure of the framework will be whether it keeps children safe in the digital spaces where they live, learn, and play.
“Our approach to social media has taught us the cost – and there’s been some devastating cost – of waiting too long to build safety into tech and digital technologies” Ms Davies said. “As AI becomes part of children’s learning, play, communication, and daily lives, we must not repeat that mistake. Child safety must be embedded from the outset as mandatory - through age and developmentally appropriate design, strong privacy protections, transparency, human oversight, and ongoing risk assessment.”
“For almost thirty years, we have fought for the right of children and young people to be safe, so their future is strong,” Ms Davies said. “If we get AI governance right for children now, we have another opportunity to lead the world and protect generations to come.”
About us:
About the Alannah & Madeline Foundation
The Alannah & Madeline Foundation was founded 29 years ago by Walter Mikac AM, and a small group of volunteers in memory of Walter’s young daughters Alannah and Madeline, aged just six and three, who tragically lost their lives along with their mother and 32 others at Port Arthur in Tasmania on 28 April 1996. The Foundation was established with the belief that “all children and young people should be able to live a happy and safe life, free from violence and trauma.” Our mission continues today through our Care, Prevention and Advocacy programs – we fight for their right to be safe, so their future is strong. www.alannahandmadeline.org.au
Contact details:
Lana Burton - Head of Marketing, Alannah & Madeline Foundation
0499 202 001 or media@amf.org.au