Australia mulls law to let users switch off social media algorithms

Australia is preparing a bill that would force social-media firms to present a clear choice between algorithm-driven and reverse-chronological timelines, with a required notification to users. Researchers caution that companies might respond with “protest design,” offering a technically compliant but poorly functional non-algorithmic mode to steer users back to the lucrative recommender system. Current workarounds on platforms like Instagram are buried in settings and reset after each session, limiting their usefulness.

Academics from Curtin, Swinburne, QUT and Monash argue that a pure chronological feed could reduce endless scrolling but may overwhelm users with frequent posters. A hybrid approach, inspired by networks such as BlueSky and Mastodon, could give individuals more control without abandoning personalization entirely. The proposal echoes the EU’s Digital Services Act, which also mandates opt-out features but leaves room for platforms to comply in ways that undermine the intent.