Australians could soon be given the option to switch off algorithm-driven content on social media under proposed legislation announced by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Albanese said the proposed digital duty of care laws would require social media companies to allow users to opt out of algorithms and view only posts from accounts they choose to follow.
The legislation would also oblige platforms to safeguard users under the age of 18 from harmful material, Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells said.
Such content would include material promoting eating disorders, misogyny and the glorification of crime.
Social media platforms that violate the proposed rules could face penalties of up to 100 million Australian dollars (about 72.1 million U.S. dollars).
“It’s about giving people control. It’s about putting choice back into the hands of Australians online,” Albanese said.
Wells said the proposed measures represented a further step towards holding technology companies accountable for harm caused through their platforms.
“For too long, tech companies have been running real-time unregulated product testing on Australians, and their platforms and tools have infiltrated our daily lives in ways we could have never imagined,” she said.
“There is a global reckoning coming for big tech.”
The proposal follows the Albanese-led Labor government’s introduction of a world-first ban on social media use by children under 16. The law, passed in 2024, took effect in December 2025.
In June, Albanese and Wells also announced plans to raise the maximum penalty for violations of the minimum-age law to 99 million Australian dollars.
