Australia proposes algorithm opt-out law for social media feeds

Australia's Labor government has proposed a 'digital duty of care' law that would require social media platforms to let users over 16 choose between algorithm-curated feeds or chronological feeds from followed accounts. The 'my feed, my way' initiative builds on the country's under-16 social media ban. Fines for non-compliance could reach A$109.2m (€60m). The EU's similar DSA rules have had patchy rollout, but Australia's approach uses mandatory pop-up notifications.

Bottom line — Fines up to A$109.2m (€60m) for non-compliance; consultation with tech firms and civil groups before bill introduced to parliament this year.

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• The draft law requires platforms to notify users with a pop-up choice between algorithmic or chronological feeds, per Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called it 'sensible, pragmatic, practical reform'.
• Meta, Alphabet, and TikTok declined to comment or did not immediately respond, per Reuters and multiple outlets.
• The EU's 2023 Digital Services Act already requires an opt-out from algorithmic feeds, but regulators found platforms made it difficult; a Dutch court ordered Meta to comply in 2025 after users were reverted to algorithms, per The Guardian.
• Communications Minister Anika Wells said the Australian model puts the onus on companies to give users a genuine choice, not just an alternative feed, per the Financial Times.
• Harmful content restrictions for under-18s include promotion of eating disorders, misogyny, pornography, and content glorifying crime; the eSafety Commissioner can issue removal notices for 'nudify' apps, per the draft legislation.
• Opposition figures like Matt Canavan and Tim Wilson criticised the law as potential censorship; Albanese countered it's 'about giving people control, not government control', per multiple reports.
• The government confirmed five investigations into potential breaches of the under-16 social media ban already underway, per Communications Minister Wells in an interview with Sunrise, as reported by The Epoch Times.
• Meta recently agreed to pay $18bn (€16.2bn) to settle a US lawsuit over child protection failures, per the Financial Times – context for the global pressure on platforms.

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