The push to stop algorithms controlling social media feeds has begun

Remember when social media was filled only with posts from your friends, rather than what an algorithm decided you wanted to see? So does the Australian government, and it wants that internet back. Yesterday, the government released draft legislation outlining a Digital Duty of Care. The proposal includes a measure that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labeled “My Feed, My Way.” It would allow Australians over 16 to switch off the algorithmic feed that social media platforms deliver automatically to users, instead allowing them to see content from friends and creators they choose to follow. This legislation, which is expected to reach Parliament before Christmas, would force platforms to send notifications to both new and existing users asking them to choose between the two types of feed. Platforms would then have to respect that choice unless the user changed it. The feed controls are grabbing the headlines, but the Digital Duty of Care also includes protections for users under 18. Digital services, including social media, online games, apps, and AI chatbots, would have to protect under-18s from harmful content and design features that could negatively affect their behavior or self-esteem. That includes content that promotes eating disorders, misogyny, crime, life-threatening stunts, pornography, or serious mental health distress. The proposed law is the latest move from a country known for its aggressive stance on social media safety. Australia banned under-16s from using a wide range of social media platforms, although it hasn’t gone that well. Three months after the December 2025 ban, 81% of Aussie kids were still using at least one restricted social media platform, down from 86% when the ban was introduced. Before the ban took effect, about 60% used social media at least once a day. Three months later, that figure was 58%. Bans sound good on paper but they’re hard to enforce . The new proposal takes a different approach by placing more responsibility on social media companies. The government promises penalties of up to $109.2 million Australian dollars (US$78.6 million) for companies that fail to comply with the Digital Duty of Care. The Australian eSafety Commissioner would also gain the power to issue removal notices for nudify apps and websites, and streamline its existing child cyberbullying and adult cyber abuse schemes so it can deal with harmful material more quickly. The move comes less than two weeks after Meta agreed to let teens choose a non-personalized feed as part of a multi-billion dollar settlement with US states. Why is an opt-out from automatically curated feeds important? Companies that automatically curate your content with their own algorithms tend to show you more of what you’ve been seeing. That can be great if you’re building a chicken coop and want as much advice as possible on nest box placement. But it can also narrow the range of content you see, making it harder to develop a well-rounded view of a subject. Perhaps sensing a change in the political wind, social media companies have already begun offering friends-only feeds. Facebook reintroduced this capability in its Friends tab in the US and Canada in March 2025. It called this one of its “OG” Facebook experiences. TikTok also now has a Friends tab alongside its regular For You feed, while Instagram has offered chronological Following and Favorites feeds since 2022. YouTube has its Subscriptions feed, while Snapchat created separate feeds for friends and other content creators back in 2017. The problem is that these feeds aren’t the default. Recommended content remains the easiest option to consume. If you use social media and want more control over what you see, look for its Friends, Following, Favorites, or Subscriptions feed. You might end up with more humblebragging , vaguebooking , or faux-wisdom memes, but at least you’ll know why you’re seeing them. And you can always get some new friends. Scammers don’t need to hack you. They just need you to click once. Malwarebytes Identity Theft Protection catches suspicious activity before it becomes a problem. About the author Danny Bradbury has been a journalist specialising in technology since 1989 and a freelance writer since 1994. He covers a broad variety of technology issues for audiences ranging from consumers through to software developers and CIOs. He also ghostwrites articles for many C-suite business executives in the technology sector. He hails from the UK but now lives in Western Canada.