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Communications Minister Anika Wells announced the planned digital duty of care laws on Sunday, which would compel platforms including Meta, Google and TikTok to provide users with a clear choice to turn off algorithms that curate their feeds. The legislation, expected to be tabled in parliament within days, would also place an onus on companies to identify and mitigate risks such as the spread of illegal pornography, videos promoting disordered eating and misogynistic content from the so-called manosphere. If platforms fail to comply, they could face substantial penalties of up to $100 million, according to reports in The Guardian and ABC News. Wells, who previously led the introduction of Australia’s world-first social media ban for those under 16, described the measures as delivering basic safety protections for an industry that has operated without them.
The eSafety Commissioner’s May 2026 position paper on recommender systems found that algorithms optimised for user engagement can compound harm by repeatedly promoting harmful material, with cumulative effects particularly acute for vulnerable users. A 2024 joint select committee report from the Australian Parliament recommended giving users greater control over algorithms, including the ability to alter, reset or disable personalised recommendations to limit exposure to targeted advertising and risky content. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, while overall exposure to fringe and radical material declined between 2022 and 2024 surveys, algorithmic suggestions played a growing role in both initial and repeated encounters with violent content. Wells told ABC News that many Australians appreciate the utility of algorithms but should have the choice to opt out, adding that platforms must respect that decision.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor expressed deep scepticism about the proposal, telling multiple outlets including the BBC and The Guardian that the Coalition viewed it as a potential attempt to censor the internet. The government is still consulting experts on whether the default should require users to opt into algorithmic feeds or actively opt out, a detail that remains under discussion ahead of the exposure draft’s release. ABC News reported that the reforms build on the social media minimum age law that took effect in December 2025, which a subsequent BMJ observational study found had only modest success in reducing platform use among adolescents under 16, with many continuing access through workarounds.
The proposed Australian framework shares elements with international regulations, including the European Union’s Digital Services Act that requires large platforms to assess systemic risks from recommendation systems and offer at least one non-profiling option, according to regulatory summaries from the UK House of Commons and academic analyses. In China, rules in force since 2022 already mandate that providers allow users to disable personalised recommendations while requiring some algorithms to be filed with state authorities. A Conversation article by an expert on the topic noted that the Australian laws would use pop-up reminders to prompt users about their options, while stopping short of making chronological feeds the mandatory default as proposed in separate Greens legislation introduced earlier this year.
Wells is scheduled to promote the digital duty of care plan at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also expected to address it, according to The Guardian. The reforms follow ongoing consultations on an issues paper that shifts regulation from reactive content removal to proactive risk management across platform design, algorithms and features. Data from the Australian Communications and Media Authority cited in related parliamentary debates shows social media remains a primary news source for more than half of Australians, amplifying concerns about how algorithms shape information diets and exposure to harmful material.
