Australia plans option to switch off social media algorithms

Australians would be able to turn off social media algorithms under draft legislation the government plans to introduce this week, a proposal that would force major technology companies to give users more control over what appears in their feeds.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said the planned laws would impose a “digital duty of care” on platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok, requiring “some basic safety protections on an industry that hasn’t had to observe it.” Companies that fail to offer users the choice to switch off algorithms should face “substantial” penalties, she said.

“We want to give Australians more choice over what they see on their social media feeds,” Wells told the ABC on Monday.

She said the government would seek expert advice on whether algorithmic feeds should be opt-in or opt-out, meaning some of the details of how the system would operate have not yet been settled. The approach echoes the government’s earlier handling of its social media ban for children under 16, which was introduced before all enforcement questions were resolved.

“A lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm, both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility that they get out of it, seeing local businesses in their suburb,” 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.”

She added: “Big tech is not a protected species and they should offer their customers basic safety standards.”

The proposal comes as social media companies face scrutiny over algorithms that critics say are addictive and can push users toward sensational or extreme content. Australia’s under-16 social media ban, described by the government as a world-first measure aimed at protecting children from online bullying and “predatory algorithms,” took effect last December.

Wells acknowledged that no technology company has yet been fined for failing to enforce that ban. The BBC reported that research has consistently shown the vast majority of under-16s who were on platforms before the ban was introduced still use them. Al Jazeera reported that data last month found Australian children were increasing their use of apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite the restriction.

The proposed algorithm law has drawn criticism from parts of the opposition. Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor said he was “highly sceptical” and warned it could amount to censorship.

“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,” Taylor told the ABC, according to Al Jazeera. He also told News24 that Labor should first try to close gaps in the under-16 social media ban.

Wells rejected the censorship claim. “This isn’t about censorship,” she told Channel Nine’s Today show. “This is about identifying risks or making big tech identify the risks on their own platform and making big tech mitigate against those risks on their platform.”

The draft legislation is also expected to require platforms to stop harmful material from being shared, including illegal pornography and videos promoting disordered eating. Last week, consent advocate Chanel Contos urged the government at Australia’s National Press Club to require users to opt in to algorithmic feeds, arguing that algorithms were contributing to sexual violence in Australia and exposing young people to misogynistic “manosphere” material.