SYDNEY — Australia's parliament is on track to pass legislation this month that would force Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other major platforms to let users switch off the recommendation algorithms that curate their feeds, in one of the most ambitious attempts yet by a government to rein in social media's most powerful, and most criticized, technology.
The centerpiece of the bill, unveiled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government, would require platforms to notify users and let them choose between a personalized, algorithm-ranked feed or one showing only posts from accounts they actually follow, according to the BBC. Non-compliance could bring fines of up to roughly AU$109 million (about US$71 million), enforced by Australia's independent eSafety Commissioner.
It's about putting choice back into the hands of Australians online.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
A campaign born from personal harm
The push traces in part to a petition from consent-education campaigner Chanel Contos, which drew more than 15,000 signatures and the backing of two former prime ministers after she argued algorithmic feeds had displaced the more predictable, chronological social media of the early 2010s. Advocates including eating-disorder survivor Varsha Yajman and former online "manosphere" influencer Flynn Martin, who has said he was pulled into extremist content during a mental health crisis, have described being served harmful material by recommendation systems despite using every available safety setting.
Social media companies have mostly stayed quiet. Meta, Snap, TikTok, X and Google each declined to comment publicly on the legislation, the BBC reported, though Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has argued that non-algorithmic feeds would show users fewer posts from friends and disputed that his app is addictive — a claim a U.S. jury rejected earlier this year. Australia's opposition and the Trump administration have separately warned the bill risks forcing over-moderation and infringing on free speech; the U.S. embassy in Canberra said it had serious concerns about the proposal.
The bill appeared close to clearing parliament after the governing Labor party dropped a more contentious clause that would have given ministers power to order the removal of certain content, according to local reporting, clearing the way for a vote as parliament resumed sitting this month.
Researchers caution the law's real-world impact is uncertain. The European Union has required platforms to offer similar opt-outs since 2023, but take-up has been low, and critics note that on Instagram, turning off the algorithm also disables direct messages and profile access, reverting automatically once a user leaves the app. Only in the Netherlands, after a court found Meta in breach of EU law, do users retain full control of a chronological home feed. Australia is also still struggling to enforce its separate ban on social media accounts for under-16s, with surveys suggesting most underage users remain on the platforms and no fines yet issued — a cautionary sign for how the new algorithm rules might fare in practice.
