Australia weighs giving users a legal right to switch off social media algorithms

Australia’s government has opened the door to a law that would let users turn off algorithmic recommendations on social platforms. Speaking on ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the government was “absolutely up for work on algorithms” and that both opt-in and opt-out models were on the table. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland followed on Monday, confirming that ministers are assessing whether personalized feeds should be something users choose to enter or choose to leave.

The trigger is a debate about violence rather than screen time. The intervention followed the death of a 16-year-old girl in New South Wales reportedly linked to sexual choking, and Plibersek cited research suggesting a teenage boy’s account is served violent misogynistic material within an average of 23 minutes. Alongside the algorithm plan, the government is preparing a digital duty of care bill that would oblige platforms to prevent harm proactively, and is considering a UK-style ban on pornography depicting strangulation.

The idea has a parliamentary vehicle already: in April Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young tabled a private “Fix Our Feeds” bill requiring platforms to offer an algorithm-free option. Australia banned under-16s from holding social media accounts in December 2025 and has since updated its rules so that recommender systems, infinite scroll and disappearing stories count toward whether a service is age-restricted, as BuzzInContent reports.

Why it matters

Australia was the first country to legislate a teen ban, and other governments copied it within months. A mandatory opt-out would be a similar template moment, and the first large-scale test of what happens to usage, ad delivery and creator reach when a meaningful share of users switches to chronological or follow-only feeds. Meta already offers EU users a way out of personalization, but take-up is negligible, partly because it is bundled with a paid subscription; a free, prominent toggle imposed by law is a different proposition.

For marketers the exposure is twofold. Organic distribution on Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts is almost entirely recommendation-driven, so an audience that opts out is an audience that has to be re-earned through follows, search or paid media. And the political framing, algorithms as a public-health hazard, will not stay in Australia.

What’s next

No model has been chosen, and the government says its first step is the new domestic and sexual violence advisory council, which meets this week. The duty of care bill is expected later in the year; the algorithm provisions could ride on it or on the Greens bill. Platforms have not commented publicly on the proposal.