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Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation

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Cite

Atkinson, S. (2026, September 7). Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9wyvxn95vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

BBC News · collected 2026-09-07 · by Simon Atkinson

Quick Summary

Communications Minister Anika Wells plans to introduce draft legislation allowing Australians to opt out of social media algorithms. The proposed laws would require tech firms like Meta, Google, and TikTok to give users the option to turn off algorithms or face "substantial" penalties. A public debate has erupted over the proposal, with some opposition members calling it censorship and others expressing support in principle. The legislation is expected to be introduced this week and will also address issues of harmful content on social media platforms.
Written by AI on 2026-09-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Australian government introduced landmark legislation on September 8, 2026, allowing social media users to opt out of algorithms controlling their feeds. This Digital Duty of Care bill requires major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to offer users the choice to turn off personalized content recommendations, displaying posts only from friends and followed accounts instead. Companies failing to comply could face fines exceeding $109 million. The legislation aims to protect vulnerable groups, including children under 18, from harmful online content related to eating disorders, bullying, and misogynistic material. Despite broad support, opposition leader Angus Taylor expressed skepticism over potential censorship concerns.

Written for “Australia Plans Algorithm Opt-Out Law” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Australia Plans Algorithm Opt-Out Law
Technology · 8 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100
Both report
The two articles are about a law proposed by Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells that would allow users to opt out of social media algorithms. Both reports mention that big tech companies, such as Meta Platforms, would be required to give users this option.
This one adds
The South China Morning Post article mentions the government's "digital duty of care bill", which is a specific part of the proposed legislation. This article also mentions that the opposition has raised doubts over enforcement.
The other adds
The BBC News article provides more details about the potential consequences of not enforcing the social media ban, including the fact that tech firms have not been fined for non-compliance despite consistent research showing high usage among under-16s.
Framing
The tone and language used by both articles are neutral, but the BBC News article presents a slightly more assertive narrative, explicitly stating that no tech firm has been fined for not enforcing the social media ban. The South China Morning Post article frames the proposal as a way to force big tech companies to offer chronological feeds, while the BBC News article focuses on the option to switch off algorithms.
Al Jazeera
Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
Both report
The two articles from Al Jazeera and BBC News both report on the Australian government's plan to unveil draft legislation requiring social media platforms to give users an option to turn off algorithms. The legislation aims to address concerns over the influence of these algorithms on user behavior. Communications Minister Anika Wells has confirmed that the plan is to give users this option.
This one adds
The Al Jazeera article does not provide specific information about tech firms being fined for non-compliance with the social media ban, but the BBC News article mentions that despite research showing most under-16s continue to use platforms after the ban was introduced in December, no fines have been issued. The BBC article also provides a bit more detail on the proposal, stating that Australians would be able to switch off algorithms "under draft legislation to be proposed this week".
The other adds
The Al Jazeera article provides a broader context for the proposal by mentioning its potential impact on social media use among teenagers and linking it to related articles such as the failure of Australia's under-16 social media ban. The Al Jazeera article also uses more assertive language, stating that "social platforms could be forced" to give users an option to turn off algorithms.
Framing
The two articles have similar framing in terms of asserting the proposed legislation and its impact on user behavior, but the Al Jazeera article tends to focus more on the broader implications and potential consequences, while the BBC News article provides a bit more detail on the proposal itself.
NPR
Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 28 claims Outlet record 60/100
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 61/100
“Article A discusses fines for social media companies not keeping under-16s off their sites, while Article B discusses legislation to allow Australians to switch off social media algorithms”
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 6 of 33 claims Outlet record 66/100
Los Angeles Times
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 4 of 52 claims Outlet record 95/100
“Article A describes a settlement agreement between Meta and states, while Article B proposes draft legislation to require social media algorithms to be switchable by users”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
68/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
8
Technology
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

BBC News · 4805 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Simon Atkinson
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 - Published Australians would be able to switch off social media algorithms under draft legislation to be proposed this week.
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Also by Simon Atkinson
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Simon Atkinson →

Topics

Australia Australians Communications Google Meta

Subjects

Australians NORP · 4× Wells PERSON · 3× Australia GPE · 2× Angus Taylor PERSON · 1× Anika Wells PERSON · 1× Communications ORG · 1× Google ORG · 1× Liberal Party ORG · 1× Meta ORG · 1× TikTok ORG · 1×

Narrative

" But she admitted that so far no tech firm had been fined for not enforcing 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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-07
🔮 - Published Australians would be able to switch off social media algorithms under draft legislation to be proposed this week.

Claims (20 extracted, 1 hedged)

- Published Australians would be able to switch off social media algorithms under draft legislation to be proposed this week. asserted
Australians → publish → legislation
Communications Minister Anika Wells, who last year helmed the government's world-first social media ban for under-16s, said the digital duty of care laws would ensure "some basic safety protections on an industry that hasn't had to observe it". asserted
that → helm → it
If tech firms such as Meta, Google and TikTok did not give the option to turn off algorithms, they should face "substantial" penalties, she said. asserted
she → give → penalties
Some members of the opposition have criticised the proposal, with Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor saying he was "highly sceptical" and arguing the move could amount to censorship. uncertain
move → criticise → censorship
The government will be taking "expert advice" on whether users would have to opt in or out of the algorithms feeding them content online, Wells said. asserted
Wells → take → content
This means that, as with its social media ban, the government is looking to bring in legislation before fully hammering out the specifics of how it would work. asserted
it → mean → specifics
"We want to give Australians more choice over what they see on their social media feeds," Wells told the ABC on Monday. asserted
Wells → want → Monday
"We know that a lot of Australians appreciate the algorithm both for the enjoyment they get out of it or the utility that they get out of it, seeing local businesses in their suburb. asserted
they → know → suburb
"A lot of Australians will want to choose the algorithm. asserted
lot → want → algorithm
But we think that big tech should offer them the choice in the first place and they should respect that choice. asserted
they → think → choice
"Big tech is not a protected species and they should offer their customers basic safety standards. asserted
they → protect → standards
" But she admitted that so far no tech firm had been fined for not enforcing 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. asserted
ban → admit → them
Some members of the opposition have said they support the idea in principle, but others argue it is an attempt to curtail freedom of speech. asserted
it → say → 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 holes in the social media ban. asserted
Labor → tell → ban
Speaking to Channel Nine's Today show, Wells said: "This isn't about censorship. asserted
This → speak → censorship
This is about identifying risks or making big tech identify the risks on their own platform and making big tech mitigate against those risks on their platform. asserted
tech → identify → platform
Last week, high-profile consent advocate Chanel Contos gave a speech at Australia's National Press Club calling on the government to seek an opt-in for algorithmic social media feeds, making it harder for tech firms to find a way round any reforms. asserted
firms → give → reforms
She argued algorithms were fuelling the prevalence of sexual violence in Australia and exposing young people to misogynistic "manosphere" material. asserted
algorithms → argue → material
The draft legislation is expected to be introduced in the coming days. asserted
legislation → expect → days
As well as addressing algorithms, it is also expected to put an onus on platforms to stop harmful content, such as illegal pornography and videos promoting disordered eating, from being shared. asserted
it → address → eating
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