# Children turn to AI chatbots when sexually abused online > More than one in three Australian children who are sexually victimised online either tell no-one or confide only in an AI chatbot, prompting police to warn that software cannot replace human support. - Title: Children turn to AI chatbots when sexually abused online · Abc - Summary: More than one in three Australian children who are sexually victimised online either tell no-one or confide only in an AI chatbot, prompting police to warn… - Keywords: child safety, online sexual abuse, ai chatbots, australian federal police, krissy barrett, adelaide university, australian centre to counter child explo, generative ai, youth protection, news, politics, Children - Source: Abc — https://abc.net.au/news/2026-10-08/afp-warns-child-abuse-victims-turning-to-ai-chatbots/107244604 - Published: 2026-10-08T10:30:29+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: child safety, online sexual abuse, ai chatbots, australian federal police, krissy barrett, adelaide university, australian centre to counter child explo, generative ai, youth protection, news, politics ## One in three children stay silent More than one in three Australian children who are sexually victimised online either tell no-one or turn to an AI chatbot for help, according to Adelaide University data. ## Study reveals AI's role in abuse The study, an initiative between Adelaide University and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, found 35 per cent of children sexually victimised online confided in an AI chatbot or did not tell anyone. ## Boys less likely to seek help Among victimised boys, two in five disclosed their experiences solely to an AI bot or kept quiet entirely, the research shows. ## Abuse methods are evolving Children as young as twelve are being manipulated through AI-altered nude images and sadistic online exploitation, amid a sharp increase in such cases. ## AFP chief warns on AI limits Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett called the trend heartbreaking and warned that automated software cannot provide the human support or protection vulnerable youth require. > Young people are turning to AI more and more for advice and for support and for guidance and that should be concerning to all of us, not just parents. ## Police cannot be the only answer Commissioner Barrett said law enforcement is a blunt object that arrives too late. By the time police become involved, options for intervention are already reduced. > We're right at the end of the suite of tools here, and we're a pretty blunt object. Let's be honest, by the time we become involved, the options are reduced. ## Bans alone won't solve the problem When asked about extending the federal under-16 social media ban to AI chatbots, Commissioner Barrett said bans were not the whole solution, though anything helping keep children safer is supported. > Anything that helps to keep our kids safer is obviously something that we support. ## Parents must create safe spaces Commissioner Barrett said parents, carers, family, educators and community leaders must notice when children withdraw or alter their behaviour and create safe opportunities for conversations about online safety. > It starts in the home, it starts with parents knowing what their kids are doing online, creating those safe opportunities for conversations. ## AFP developing triage welfare tool The AFP is working with Monash University's AiLECS Lab on a welfare tool that triages reports of harm to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and refers them to a human for assessment. ## AFP releases human-led AI strategy The AFP released its first AI strategy last month, a human-led approach designed to match the scale and pace of offending, particularly in child exploitation and youth radicalisation. ## Partnership approach to solutions Commissioner Barrett emphasised the need to partner with academia and tech companies to bring together knowledge, expertise and access to develop solutions for protecting young people online. > This is something that we need to be doing more and more: partnering with academia, and with tech companies around how do we bring all of our knowledge, expertise and access together to come up with these solutions. ## Key takeaway One in three Australian children sexually victimised online tell no-one or confide only in AI chatbots, leading police to warn that technology cannot replace human support and parents must create safe spaces for disclosure.