Social media users could soon have a "choose your own adventure" between doom-scrolling or seeing only posts from friends. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
After the teen social media ban, the Australian government is going further in trying to reduce harm from social media by allowing users to opt out of the algorithmic feed. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the move on Tuesday.
Under the new rules, every Australian would get a pop-up notification asking them to decide whether they want the platform's algorithm to decide what they see or just see content from people and groups they follow. This is similar to how many platforms worked in the early 2010s.
Guardian Australia first reported on these issues in 2024, conducting experiments with blank phones set up to be young men to see what algorithms pushed into feeds. The results were shocking: the default quickly led to extreme misogynistic and far-right content, and the algorithm was extremely sensitive to any minor interaction.
Many problems teens face on social media are also problems for adults. Fake news and scams on social media have defrauded grandparents of their retirement money, and some relatives have been radicalized. Outrage bait is rewarded by engagement, affecting politics and public discourse.
This move could be game-changing. When Apple introduced a notification in iOS in 2021 allowing users to opt out of ad tracking, it cost Meta $10 billion in one quarter. Instagram's safety feature for teens, "Take a Break," had a take-up rate of only 1.8%, as heard in court before Meta agreed to an $18 billion settlement.
Tech companies love to tout safety features but often bury them in settings. In Europe, Meta introduced a no-algorithm feed in 2023, but in 2025 a Dutch court ordered the company to comply with the law. The court found users were automatically reverted to the algorithm when they reopened the app.
Instagram is expected to launch its "Algo Confessions" series in Australia this week, where celebrities and influencers run through their "For You" feeds and tout the benefits of Instagram recommendations. This may find support among organizations that benefit from algorithms rewarding outrage content. Albanese pointedly thanked News Corp for its support for the social media ban.
It's unclear whether the "my feed, my way" proposal will enjoy similar support in newspapers as the teen ban, especially as other parts of the proposed law may face opposition from the Coalition and One Nation. But by framing it as "empowering people," Albanese hopes it won't be seen as government overreach.
"If people want to doom scroll... that's fine, that's up to them," Albanese said on Tuesday. "But if people want to have a change, then this will provide them an opportunity."