Australians will be able to disable social media algorithms under planned legislation

Australians could turn off social media algorithms under a bill to be proposed this week.

Communications Minister Anika Wells, who last year led the government’s first ban on social media for under-16s, said digital duty of care laws would ensure “some basic safety protections in an industry that has not had to observe them”.

If tech companies like Meta, Google and TikTok did not give the option to disable algorithms, they should face “substantial” penalties, he said.

Some opposition members have criticized the proposal, with Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor saying he was “very sceptical” and arguing the move could amount to censorship.

The government will take “expert advice” on whether or not users would have to opt-in to the algorithms that serve them online content, Wells said.

This means that, as with the social media ban, the government is looking to enact legislation before fully defining the details of how it would work.

“We want to give Australians more choice about what they see on their social media,” Wells told ABC on Monday.

“We know that many Australians appreciate the algorithm for both the enjoyment it brings and the usefulness it gives them when viewing local businesses in their suburb.

“Many Australians will want to choose the algorithm. But we think big tech companies should give them the choice first and should respect that choice.

“Big tech is not a protected species and should offer its customers basic security standards.”

But he admitted that so far no technology company had been fined for failing to enforce the social media ban, despite research consistently showing that the vast majority of under-16s who were on platforms before the ban was introduced last December, still use them.

Some opposition members have said they support the idea in principle, but others argue it is an attempt to restrict free speech.

Taylor told News24 he feared this was “an attempt by the government to censor social media” and that Labor should first try to plug the holes in the social media ban.

Speaking to Channel Nine’s Today programme, Wells said: “It’s not about censorship. It’s about identifying risks or getting big tech to identify risks on their own platform and getting big tech to mitigate those risks on their platform.”

Last week, prominent consent advocate Chanel Contos gave a speech at Australia’s National Press Club calling on the government to find an option to access algorithmic feeds from social media, which would make it harder for tech companies to find a way around any reform.

He argued algorithms were fueling the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia and exposing young people to misogynistic material from the “manosphere”.

The bill is expected to be introduced in the coming days. In addition to tackling algorithms, it is also expected to put a responsibility on platforms to prevent the sharing of harmful content, such as illegal pornography and videos that promote eating disorders.