Australians may soon be able to switch off social media algorithms and see only posts from accounts they follow.

Australia plans to introduce new online safety laws that would give social media users ages 16 and older the option to turn off algorithm-driven feeds under a “My Feed, My Way(หน้าต่างใหม่)” initiative, while also imposing a digital duty of care on platforms to better protect children from harmful content.

The proposed laws would give the eSafety Commissioner (Australia’s online safety regulator) stronger enforcement powers and expose companies to fines of more than A$100 million for non-compliance, though the legislation is expected to face political debate before passing parliament. Communications Minister Anika Wells called it “a global reckoning for big tech(หน้าต่างใหม่).”

The law raises a question every internet user lives with: what is a social media algorithm, and why does controlling it matter?

What is an algorithm in social media?

An algorithm in social media is the system a platform uses to decide which posts, videos, ads, or recommendations to show you, and in what order.

Instead of showing only the newest posts from accounts you follow, the algorithm may rank content based on things like what you click, watch, like, share, search for, or spend time viewing. Its goal is usually to predict what will keep you on the platform.

Early social media feeds were much simpler than today’s. They were mostly chronological and based on people you had deliberately connected with, such as friends, pages, or accounts you followed. If someone posted something recently, it appeared near the top, with older posts moved down. Today, all major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok(หน้าต่างใหม่), YouTube(หน้าต่างใหม่), Facebook, and X, use a recommendation algorithm.

How do social media algorithms work?

Social media algorithms work by constantly making predictions about what you’re most likely to engage with. Platforms keep their ranking systems secret, but the mechanics are consistent across the industry. Candidate posts are scored on signals like popularity, engagement speed, and your history with a creator. Machine learning models predict how likely you are to like, share, or watch to the end. The highest-scoring content fills your feed. Your reaction becomes training data, so tomorrow’s feed is essentially tuned to yesterday’s behavior.

The goal of a social media platform is to keep you engaged. That business model has also come under growing legal scrutiny: In 2026, Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict children and teenagers, while admitting no wrongdoing.

Generally, content that triggers outrage, envy, or anxiety generates more engagement, so it gets amplified. To find out which content is most likely to engage individual people, platforms collect vast amounts of personal data.

What would Australia’s social media law change?

Turning off the algorithm would mean seeing a simpler feed made up mainly of content from the people and groups you have deliberately chosen to follow. Australia’s social media law would:

  • Allow people over 16 to opt out of algorithmic feeds. Platforms must notify everyone and ask them to choose a default feed.
  • Require online services (including games, apps, and AI chatbots) to protect children (under 18) from specific harms, including pornography, content promoting eating disorders, misogynistic content, glorification of crime, and content causing serious mental stress.
  • Give the eSafety Commissioner power to issue removal notices, including for “nudify(หน้าต่างใหม่)” apps used to create non-consensual intimate images (deepfakes).
  • Impose fines above A$100 million for non-compliance.

Australia follows in the footsteps of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires the largest platforms to offer users a recommender option that is not based on profiling. The rollout has not always been smooth, however, with regulators arguing that some platforms have made opting out unnecessarily difficult.

The proposed law also builds on Australia’s world-first under-16 social media ban, which took effect in December 2025. Similar measures are now being pursued in France, the UK, and New Zealand(หน้าต่างใหม่).

Whether Australia’s new approach to social media algorithms will have a similar influence remains to be seen, but if the legislation passes, other governments are likely to watch closely. “This is not about giving government control, it is about giving people control,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

How to take back control of your social media feed

You do not have to wait for new legislation to take some control over what appears in your feed. Most major platforms already offer a few ways to reduce algorithmic recommendations, although they will not be eliminated entirely:

Use Following or chronological feeds where available. Instagram, Facebook, X, and other platforms offer views that prioritize accounts you already follow rather than recommended posts.

Turn off or limit personalization. Check your privacy, ad, and recommendation settings for options to reduce personalized content, targeted ads, or activity-based recommendations.

Tell the algorithm what you do not want. Use controls such as “Not interested,” “Show fewer posts like this,” or “Mute” instead of simply scrolling past unwanted content.

Be selective about what you engage with. Watching, liking, commenting on, or repeatedly viewing a post can signal that you want more of that kind of content, even when you are engaging because it makes you angry.

Unfollow, mute, and block aggressively. Curating the accounts you follow can make following-only feeds much more useful and reduce exposure to content you never asked to see.

Disable autoplay and unnecessary notifications. These features are designed to draw you back into the app and keep content flowing with as little friction as possible.

Use the web version or alternative clients when possible. Some interfaces make it easier to avoid recommendation-heavy features such as Shorts, Reels, or For You feeds.

Explore European social media alternatives designed around greater user control and privacy rather than profiling-based feeds.

Algorithmic control starts with privacy

Australia’s proposal addresses one part of a much bigger problem. Algorithmic feeds are powerful because platforms know so much about the people using them. Giving users control over what appears in their feed is a meaningful step, but real digital autonomy also means having control over the data used to profile them in the first place.

At Proton, we believe people should be able to use the internet without surrendering their privacy, whether that means choosing what appears in their feed or choosing services that don’t build their business around tracking them.