The Australian government introduced a new suite of laws to parliament this week that would force social media platforms to give users one crucial button: a switch to turn off algorithmic recommendations. If enacted, users could choose to see only posts from accounts they follow — with no machine-curated feed.
The draft legislation also imposes a legal duty of care on online services, a regulatory approach modelled on workplace and consumer-product safety obligations. Australia is not the first government to try this, but existing algorithm controls on today’s platforms are often transient and come with functionality trade-offs; Australia is aiming for tighter legislation that cannot be worked around.
The driving force behind the bill is the testimony of victims. In the BBC’s reporting, Varsha Yajman — now 24 and in recovery from anorexia — described how algorithms flooded her feed with weight-loss content from age 13, even with every safety setting enabled and a long list of banned words. “I was like, ‘I don’t need to eat. I can just watch other people eat’,” she told the BBC.
Criticism has followed. Some argue Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government has bitten off more than it can chew in its fight with big tech, while others — as summarised by The Conversation — question whether switching off algorithms is a veiled form of censorship or a restoration of user control. The debate in Australia matters for Indonesia too, which is drafting its own rules for digital platforms and child protection this year.