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Kids and teens are going to AI chatbots for advice. How can parents make sure this is safe?

Last week, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett warned artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are not a sufficient replacement for human support for children. The comment was in response to a recent Adelaide University study that found more than one in three Australian children turn to AI chatbots for support when they are sexually victimized online or otherwise tell nobody at all.

By the Truvace desk2 min read1 sourceJournalismTRV-2026-1686· cite & verify
Kids and teens are going to AI chatbots for advice. How can parents make sure this is safe?

In brief

The supplied text reports that Australia's Federal Police Commissioner, Krissy Barrett, said last week that AI chatbots are not a sufficient substitute for human support for children. She was responding to a recent Adelaide University study on how children behave after online sexual victimisation.

The study, as described, found that more than one in three Australian children either use chatbots for support after such victimisation or tell nobody. This matters because it points to children seeking help outside human channels. The supplied excerpt does not show how safe the chatbot responses were or how parents should respond.

Main points

  1. The warning came from Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett.
  2. She said chatbots are not a sufficient replacement for human support for children.
  3. An Adelaide University study found more than one in three Australian children use chatbots for support after online sexual victimisation or tell nobody.
  4. The headline asks how parents can make chatbot use safe, but the supplied excerpt gives no guidance.

The problem

Some Australian children who are sexually victimised online reportedly turn to AI chatbots, or to no one, instead of human support, which police say chatbots cannot adequately replace.

The rundown

The commissioner's comment followed a recent study from Adelaide University. The excerpt names the university and describes a finding about Australian children, but gives no sample size, method, or fieldwork dates.

The finding concerns children who are sexually victimised online. In that situation, the study as described found that a sizeable share either turn to AI chatbots for support or tell nobody at all.

The article was published on 16 October 2026 and describes the police warning as made the previous week. The supplied text contains none of the parental safety advice that the headline promises.

Sources

  1. JournalismPhys.org2026-10-16

The debate