Australia Wants to Let You Turn Off Social Media Algorithms — Here's What's in the Plan

Australia's federal government has proposed a new law called the digital duty of care. If passed, it would require online platforms like social media companies, app makers, and AI services to find and fix safety risks before users are harmed. The government announced the plan on September 8, 2026, under the name "My Feed, My Way."

The plan also includes two big features. First, Australians would be able to turn off the algorithms that decide what content shows up in their social media feeds. Second, companies that break the rules could face fines of up to A$109.2 million, which is about $78.6 million.

An algorithm is a computer program that picks which posts, videos, or ads you see on a platform. It works by guessing what will keep you engaged and scrolling. The new proposal would let users choose whether they want algorithm-selected content or a simpler feed without those recommendations. Senator Michelle Rowland, the government minister behind the plan, said the goal is to give people more control over what they see online.

The idea has been in the works for a while. In November 2024, the Albanese government first said it wanted to create a duty of care model for digital platforms. In May 2026, the Department of Infrastructure published a paper on the topic after asking the public for input starting in late 2025.

Under the proposed law, the responsibility for keeping people safe online would move from individual users to the companies themselves. Instead of waiting for someone to report a problem, platforms would have to actively look for and reduce risks. The law would cover social media platforms, age-restricted social media platforms, online games, apps, and AI services.

The plan also adds protections for users under 18. Australia already has rules requiring age-restricted social media platforms to stop Australians under 16 from having accounts. The new duty of care would extend that protection into how platforms are designed and run.

Penalties for breaking the rules could reach A$109.2 million, roughly $78.6 million, according to NPR. That puts Australia's fines among the highest in the world for this kind of regulation, though the exact way penalties would be calculated is still being worked out.

Australia's approach is similar to the UK's Online Safety Act, which also requires platforms to take responsibility for online harms. The difference is Australia's algorithm switch-off feature, which goes a step further by directly giving users control over the recommendation systems that shape what they see.

The broader context here is that Australia has already been tough on youth social media access with its under-16 account ban. This new plan goes further by reaching into how platforms are built, covering AI services and online games as well as traditional social media. That means the rules would apply to a much wider range of online companies.

The law is still just a proposal. It needs to go through Parliament, industry feedback, and the usual lawmaking process before anything takes effect. If it passes, platforms offering algorithmic feeds in Australia would face a big task. They would need to build and maintain a separate version of their feeds that works without algorithms, which would require serious engineering work and could affect how they make money from advertising.

For the global tech industry, this adds to a complicated picture. Companies are already dealing with different rules from the European Union, the UK, and various U.S. states. Australia's plan would add yet another set of requirements to follow, and this one is unique because it requires platforms to let users control the algorithms that drive engagement and ad revenue.