Australia's government is preparing legislation that would require social media companies to give users the option to turn off recommendation algorithms, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the proposed law would compel platforms such as Meta to fulfil what the government describes as a "digital duty of care," stepping up efforts to tackle online harm.
Under the proposal, users would receive a pop-up notification when logging in, asking whether they want the platform's algorithm to determine what they see or whether they prefer to view only content from people and groups they have chosen to follow — similar to how many platforms functioned in the early 2010s.
"A lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm, both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility they get out of it," Wells said. "A lot of Australians will want to choose the algorithm, but we think that Big Tech should offer them the choice in the first place, and they should respect that choice."
Albanese framed the measure as one of personal empowerment rather than government control over what people see online. "If people want to doom scroll … that's fine, that's up to them," he said on Tuesday.
Social media firms have long faced scrutiny over their use of algorithms accused of directing users toward sensational or extreme content to keep them scrolling. Experiments conducted in Australia in 2024, in which blank phones were set up with minimal user information, found that default algorithm settings quickly pushed feeds toward extreme misogynistic and far-right content, with the algorithm proving highly sensitive to even minor interactions with images or videos.
Critics have noted that the harms associated with algorithmic feeds are not limited to young people. Adults have also been affected, with reports of relatives radicalised through social media comment sections and older users defrauded by fake investment schemes promoted on platforms.
The proposed legislation is part of a broader digital duty of care framework. It follows Australia's world-first ban, introduced in December, on under-16s accessing social media platforms, a measure designed to protect children from online bullying and what the government called "predatory algorithms." The United Kingdom, France and others have since introduced similar restrictions. Data published last month found that Australian children were increasing their use of apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite the ban.
The effectiveness of any opt-out mechanism will depend heavily on how the law is written and enforced. Analysts and critics have pointed to precedents suggesting tech companies may resist meaningful compliance. When Apple introduced an ad-tracking opt-out notification in iOS in 2021, users rushed to opt out of tracking on Facebook and Instagram, costing Meta an estimated $10 billion in a single quarter.
By contrast, Instagram's "Take a Break" feature — designed to prompt teenagers to stop scrolling after extended use — recorded an uptake rate of just 1.8 percent, according to testimony in a recent US court case, heard just before Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement with state attorneys general. Critics argue companies routinely bury safety features within settings, then cite low uptake as evidence that users are satisfied with their products.
European experience raises further concerns. In 2023, Meta introduced a no-algorithm feed option to comply with EU law. However, a Dutch court ruled in 2025 that users were automatically reverted to the algorithmic feed each time they closed and reopened the app. The court ordered Meta to provide a direct and simple opt-out mechanism. Meta maintained it was already in compliance.
Instagram is expected to push back on the narrative surrounding its algorithm. The platform is set to launch an "Algo Confessions" series in Australia this week, in which celebrities and influencers showcase their personalised feeds and highlight what the platform recommends to users.
Australia's opposition leader, Angus Taylor, said the Coalition had not yet seen the government's bill and expressed scepticism. "I fear that this is going to be an attempt by the government to censor social media, but as I say, we haven't seen it. Let's see what the government comes forward with," he told a national broadcaster.
It remains unclear whether the algorithm opt-out proposal will attract the same broad political and media support as the under-16 social media ban. Other elements of the proposed digital duty of care legislation dealing with online harms are expected to face opposition from the Coalition and One Nation.
