Australia Brings In Age Checks for AI Companions

Australia's AI companion age verification rules: the codes

The codes are industry codes registered under Australia's Online Safety Act, and they are enforceable. According to eSafety, AI companion chatbots capable of generating sexually explicit, high-impact violence or self-harm material must confirm that a user is 18 or older, either at login or at the point of generation, and provide crisis and mental health information. eSafety says civil penalties of up to $49.5 million can follow a breach of a direction to comply.

Before the codes, on October 23, 2025, eSafety issued legal notices to Character Technologies (Character.AI), Glimpse.AI (Nomi), Chai Research and Chub AI, with fines of up to $825,000 a day for failing to answer. Those four responses became the March report.

What eSafety reported on March 24, 2026

eSafety found that none of the four providers had robust age verification, that Chai, Chub AI and Nomi did not direct users to crisis support when self-harm was detected, and that Nomi and Chub AI had no dedicated trust-and-safety staff. It also listed changes since the notices:

eSafety does not say whether Chai's subscription requirement applies beyond Australia. Chai's own Safety Center says only that in some regions use of the service requires a paid subscription. Chub AI has no page on this site.

How other apps handle Australian users

• Character.AI. Its help center says age assurance runs on all accounts, using an in-house model and Persona selfie or ID checks. See our Character.AI review.
• Nomi. The CEO said in 2026 Q&As that age verification applies in specific places, naming Kansas and Australia. See Nomi.
• Janitor AI. Users connecting from Australia, Brazil or the UK must pass a one-time k-ID check. Its help center lists April 24, 2026 for Australia and Brazil, though its June 15 post gives no date. See Janitor AI.
• SpicyChat. Its undated docs page lists Australia, France, Italy, the UK and 26 US states where a video selfie or ID check is needed before NSFW content unlocks. See SpicyChat.

What it means for users in Australia

Adults may meet a selfie or ID check, a paid-only chat tier or a blocked site. Janitor AI says it receives only a pass or fail result, and Character.AI says its verification partner deletes biometric data within seven days; other apps' handling was not part of the reports we read. Our safety guide explains what to look for in a policy.

Australia is one of several markets moving at once. See the UK 18+ plan and US chatbot laws, the NSFW chat list for adult features, and the news hub.