Australia’s proposed ‘opt out’ law targets Big Tech algorithms

Social media platforms face scrutiny over addictive algorithms; new law aims to give Australians greater feed control.

The Australian government plans to introduce legislation this week that would require social media platforms to give users an option to turn off recommended algorithms [File: Saeed Khan/AFP]

Social media platforms could be forced to give users in Australia an option to turn off “powerful” algorithms under draft laws to be unveiled by the government this week, Communications Minister Anika Wells told the ABC national broadcaster.

The proposed legislation would require companies like Meta to undertake what the government calls a digital duty of care as it steps up efforts to tackle online harm.

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“A lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm, both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility they get out of it,” Anika Wells said.

“A lot of Australians will want to choose the algorithm, but we think that Big Tech should offer them the choice in the first place, and they should respect that choice.”

Australia’s opposition leader, Angus Taylor, told the ABC that the Coalition had not seen the Labor government’s bill.

“I am deeply sceptical. I fear that this is going to be an attempt by the government to censor social media, but as I say, we haven’t seen it. Let’s see what the government comes forward with,” he said on the ABC.

Social media firms have long faced scrutiny over their use of allegedly addictive algorithms and stand accused of directing users to sensational or extreme content to keep them scrolling.

A teenager poses holding a mobile phone displaying a message from TikTok as a law banning social media for users under 16 in Australia takes effect, in Sydney, Australia, December 2025 [Hollie Adams/Reuters]

In December, Australia banned under-16s from accessing social media platforms as part of a world-first crackdown designed to protect children from online bullying and “predatory algorithms”.

The United Kingdom, France and others have since followed suit.

Data last month found that Australian children were increasing their use of social media apps, such as Instagram and TikTok, despite the ban.

社交媒体平台因其令人上瘾的算法而面临审查；新法律旨在赋予澳大利亚人更大的信息流控制权。

澳大利亚政府计划在本周推出一项立法，要求社交媒体平台为用户提供关闭推荐算法的选项。[图片：Saeed Khan/AFP]

澳大利亚通信部长阿尼卡·威尔斯告诉澳大利亚广播公司（ABC），根据政府本周即将公布的法律草案，社交媒体平台可能会被迫为澳大利亚用户提供关闭“强大”算法的选项。

拟议的立法将要求像 Meta 这样的公司承担政府所谓的数字安全责任，因为政府正在加大力度打击网络危害。

研究显示，澳大利亚针对16岁以下儿童的社交媒体禁令失败（共3项，此为第1项）：这意味着什么

列表 2/3：澳大利亚 16 岁以下青少年禁网三个月后，大多数青少年仍然上网。

Meta 180亿美元和解协议：社交平台将如何改变儿童用户体验（列表3/3）

“很多澳大利亚人都很欣赏这个算法，既因为它给他们带来了乐趣，也因为它给他们带来了实用价值，”阿尼卡·威尔斯说。

“很多澳大利亚人可能想选择算法，但我们认为大型科技公司首先应该给他们提供选择权，而且他们应该尊重这种选择。”

澳大利亚反对党领袖安格斯·泰勒告诉澳大利亚广播公司，联盟党还没有看到工党政府的法案。

“我对此深表怀疑。我担心这是政府试图审查社交媒体的举动，但正如我所说，我们还没有看到任何迹象。让我们拭目以待政府会拿出什么方案，”他在澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）上说道。

社交媒体公司长期以来因其使用据称会让人上瘾的算法而受到审查，并被指控引导用户浏览耸人听闻或极端的内容，以让他们不断滑动屏幕。

2025年12月，澳大利亚悉尼，一名青少年手持手机，屏幕上显示着TikTok的一条消息。与此同时，澳大利亚一项禁止16岁以下用户使用社交媒体的法律正式生效。[Hollie Adams/路透社]

去年 12 月，澳大利亚禁止 16 岁以下儿童访问社交媒体平台，这是全球首例旨在保护儿童免受网络欺凌和“掠夺性算法”侵害的打击行动。

英国、法国和其他国家随后也纷纷效仿。

上个月的数据显示，尽管有禁令，澳大利亚儿童使用 Instagram 和 TikTok 等社交媒体应用程序的频率仍在增加。