Albanese seeks tech support for child safety and AI rules

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is seeking cooperation from major technology companies as his government strengthens online child-safety laws and artificial-intelligence oversight. After meeting Tim Cook in California, Albanese said Australia needs big tech’s support to protect children online, while Cook highlighted new controls intended to help parents and children manage online risks. Draft legislation would impose a duty of care on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram and allow users to disable content-recommendation algorithms, following Australia’s 2025 ban on social-media access for children under 16. The bill is expected to go before Parliament after consultations with industry and civil-society groups, though the opposition says the proposal could threaten free speech and give excessive authority to the communications minister. Albanese also warned about the risks of AI developing beyond human control and said Australia plans to introduce new AI standards by the end of the year.