Australia introduces 'Digital Duty of Care' bill to let users opt out of social media algorithms

Australians could soon gain the right to disable automated recommendation algorithms on major social media platforms under draft legislation introduced in parliament on Monday.

The proposed framework, termed a "digital duty of care," aims to curb algorithmic addiction and protect users from harmful or radicalizing content by placing proactive legal obligations on technology firms.

How will the proposed algorithm opt-out mechanism operate?

Under the draft amendments to the Online Safety Act, social media companies—including Meta, TikTok, YouTube, and X—will be required to give users a clear choice to turn off personalized recommendation systems. Deactivating recommendation algorithms would return user feeds to linear, chronological displays consisting primarily of posts from accounts the user actively chooses to follow.

Speaking to national broadcaster ABC, Communications Minister Anika Wells stated that while many users appreciate personalized content, platforms must provide explicit choice. "A lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm, both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility they get out of it," 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."

What political debate surrounds the 'Digital Duty of Care' framework?

The draft law follows Australia's enforcement of a minimum age limit prohibiting children under 16 from maintaining social media accounts, which went into effect in late 2025. However, the new duty-of-care proposal has drawn political debate regarding whether opt-out measures go far enough.

Advocacy groups, such as Teach Us Consent, and lawmakers from the Australian Greens have advocated for an "opt-in" model, where personalized feeds are disabled by default unless affirmative consent is granted.

Additionally, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young argued that proposed fines capped at $100 million for non-compliance are inadequate for global tech giants, calling instead for penalties tied to global annual turnover. Parliament is expected to debate the bill during the current legislative session as international observers in Europe and North America monitor Australia's regulatory approach.