The Australian government has introduced legislation this week that would force social media platforms to offer users the option to turn off content recommendation algorithms, according to BBC News – Technology. The move is designed to combat addiction and mental health problems linked to endless scrolling through algorithmically curated feeds.
Under the proposed laws, users would be able to switch to a feed showing only posts from accounts they actively follow, similar to how social media operated in the early 2010s. The legislation aims to prevent platforms from making the feature difficult to use or less functional than algorithm-driven feeds.
Varsha Yajman, now 24 and recovering from anorexia, described how algorithms trapped her in harmful content as a teenager. Despite having every safety setting enabled and an extensive list of banned words, she continues to receive weight loss content on her feeds. “I would find that I’d be down these really deep rabbit holes… it was like no matter how hard you tried to get out, you couldn’t,” she told the BBC.
Flynn Martin experienced a different algorithmic spiral when content from self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate began dominating his feeds four years ago. The Melbourne resident, who was struggling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder at the time, says the so-called manosphere content drew him into an echo chamber that only ended after a period of psychosis and hospitalisation.
The Digital Duty of Care bill
The algorithm switch forms the centrepiece of Australia’s broader Digital Duty of Care bill, which would require online services including social media firms, gaming sites and chatbots to ensure “so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe online environment”.
Children must be protected from harmful material and design features such as pornography and content encouraging eating disorders or harmful attitudes towards women. Adults must be shielded from a narrower category of seriously harmful illegal content. Companies breaching the law could face fines of up to A$100 million (£52 million).
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the legislation “shifts the onus of responsibility from the shoulders of victims onto the shoulders of the big tech operators who seek to make money off Australian users”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese framed the policy as empowering users: “This is not about giving government control, it is about giving people control. If people want to doom scroll… that’s fine, that’s up to them.”
The proposal emerged after a campaign called “Fix Our Feeds” by activist Chanel Contos gathered more than 15,000 signatures. Contos, who previously helped reform sexual consent education standards in Australia, initially called for recommended algorithms to be turned off by default, though the government stopped short of making that mandatory.
Implementation challenges and industry response
Major technology companies including Meta, Snap, TikTok, X and Google have declined to comment publicly on the legislation. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri argued that non-algorithmic feeds would mean users saw fewer posts from friends and disputed claims his app is addictive, though a US jury recently ruled otherwise.
The European Union introduced similar algorithm controls in 2023, but experts say platforms have implemented them in ways that discourage use. On Instagram, for example, turning off the algorithm prevents users from accessing direct messages or their profile and settings. The feed also reverts to algorithmic curation when users leave and return to the app.
Only in the Netherlands, following a court ruling that Meta breached the EU’s Digital Services Act, do these limitations not apply.
Australia’s proposed rules specify that following-only feeds must not be harder to use or less functional, that algorithm settings must be “obvious”, and that they must not revert without explicit user choice.
Research has found social media use triggers brain responses similar to gambling and substance addiction, that algorithms serve harmful content to users, and that they spread disinformation and increase polarisation. Court cases and whistleblowers have alleged companies are aware of these dangers but overlook them because the technology boosts user engagement and profits.
Polling conducted earlier this month showed two-thirds of Generation Z Australians would keep their social media algorithms turned on, though nearly half of Australians generally would switch them off. Both Varsha and Flynn expressed scepticism about whether the reforms would work in practice, but Varsha said having the choice felt reassuring on difficult days.
What this means for Poles in the UK
While this legislation applies only in Australia, Chanel Contos is now taking her campaign global, specifically targeting Canada, the UK and Australia as aligned jurisdictions on online safety. If the UK adopts similar measures, Polish residents would gain the ability to opt out of algorithmically recommended content on major platforms.
The UK’s Online Safety Act, which came into force in 2023, already imposes duties of care on tech platforms but does not currently require an algorithm off-switch. If campaigners succeed in bringing Australia’s model to Britain, users would be able to return to chronological feeds showing only content from accounts they follow, potentially reducing exposure to harmful material and addictive scrolling patterns.
For Poles in the UK concerned about their own or their children’s social media use, the existing safety tools on platforms remain available, including content filters, screen time limits and restricted modes. Mental health support for eating disorders, addiction and other issues linked to social media use can be accessed through the NHS or organisations such as Beat, Mind and Samaritans.
