Australia on Monday began enforcing new online safety rules that require artificial intelligence chatbot services to implement strict age-based content filters to prevent minors from accessing harmful material.

The measures, introduced under the country’s digital safety framework, require AI platforms to use age-verification systems and automated safeguards to ensure that users under 18 are not exposed to sensitive or harmful categories of content. There will be penalty on Companies that fail to comply risk up to A$49.5 million (about $34.5 million).

The policy is part of a push by the Australian government to strengthen protections for children in the digital environment. Earlier, the Australian government had banned the use of social media for teenagers and children.

Australia’s Julie Inman Grant, the country’s eSafety Commissioner, said the rules are designed to ensure that young people receive the same level of protection online as they do offline.

She noted that society already limits minors’ access to certain adult environments in everyday life, and the new digital safeguards are meant to extend those protections to the internet. There is need to detect and filter objectionable material related to violence or any other topic, if users are minors.

Platforms are expected to implement stronger age-verification tools and risk-mitigation systems to monitor interactions and prevent exposure to restricted topics.

The rollout comes just months after Australia became the first country to enact a nationwide ban on teenagers using certain social media platforms, reflecting growing concerns among policymakers about the impact of digital services on young users.

Early signs of the policy’s impact were visible on mobile app charts Monday, with several privacy tools rising quickly in download rankings as users looked for ways to bypass regional controls. Among them was a popular VPN application that appeared near the top of free downloads on Apple’s App Store.

Technology companies and digital rights groups are expected to closely monitor how the new rules are implemented, particularly how AI systems verify users’ ages and filter conversations in real time.

Australian officials say the goal is not to limit innovation in artificial intelligence but to ensure that rapidly expanding chatbot services operate within clear safety boundaries when interacting with young people online.

Also Read: Australia May Block AI Services That Fail User Age Filter