Australia’s government released draft legislation Tuesday, Sept. 8, that would require social media platforms to give users 16 and older an enduring choice between algorithmically recommended feeds and content from accounts they have chosen to follow. The proposal, called “My Feed, My Way,” is part of a broader Digital Duty of Care package now entering targeted consultation.
The measure is not yet law, and implementation details could change during consultation and parliamentary consideration. If enacted in its proposed form, however, it would challenge a central operating assumption of social platforms: that recommendation systems should control the default experience because they maximize discovery, engagement and advertising inventory.
Users would choose the feed they open
The government’s announcement says platforms would have to notify new and existing users about their options and respect their selection. Adults could opt into or out of personalized recommendations. For users under 16, personalized algorithms and features such as endless scrolling would be switched off under the draft framework.
The proposal also would impose a duty on digital services to take reasonable steps against foreseeable harms. Its scope extends beyond social media to online games, apps, messaging services and AI chatbots when children are involved. The government says penalties for serious failures could reach 109.2 million Australian dollars.
The Associated Press and Australia’s ABC independently reported the plan and its consultation status. Reuters also reported the proposal Tuesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described it as a user-choice measure rather than government control of individual feeds.
Feed choice creates a commercial test
Recommendation engines do more than order posts. They determine which creators receive distribution, which advertisements gain impressions and how effectively a platform can keep people scrolling. A meaningful off switch could reduce the amount of recommended content some users see and make direct audience relationships more valuable.
For marketers, that would raise the importance of follows, subscriptions, recognizable creative and content people actively seek out. For platforms, the design of the choice will matter: the prompt must be understandable, the alternative feed must remain usable and a selection cannot quietly reset after an update.
Australia previously moved first on restricting social-media accounts for children under 16. The new proposal goes further by treating recommender design itself as a subject of consumer choice and safety oversight. The business consequence is straightforward: if users can reject the algorithm, platforms and brands will have to earn attention with less help from the machinery that currently decides what appears next.