Australia Wants Users to Switch Off Social-Media Algorithms — What a Friends-Only Feed Could Change
Australia has proposed new rules that would require major social-media platforms to give users a clear choice between algorithmically personalized feeds and feeds based only on accounts they deliberately follow. If enacted, the change would test a simple question: how different would social media feel if the recommendation engine were optional?
Table of Contents
01 Event
Reuters reported that Australia’s Labor government has introduced draft legislation requiring services such as Facebook and Instagram to notify users about algorithmic recommendations and provide an alternative feed based on selected friends and creators.
The proposal would also expand reporting and safety obligations for platforms. Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to A$109.2 million, or about $79 million.
02 What Changed?
Most large social platforms already allow some degree of feed control, but the default experience is usually driven by recommendation systems designed to maximize relevance and engagement. Australia’s proposal would make user choice a formal regulatory requirement rather than a buried product setting.
The government says the goal is to give users more control rather than dictate what they see. The proposal resembles elements of Europe’s Digital Services Act, which has pushed large platforms toward greater transparency and user options around recommendation systems.
03 Why It Matters
Algorithms are responsible for much of what makes modern social media useful—and addictive. They help people discover creators, news, communities and products they never chose to follow. At the same time, they determine which posts receive distribution and can keep users scrolling far beyond the content they originally opened the app to see.
A non-algorithmic feed would shift more control back to the user, but it could also reduce discovery. That matters for creators and small publishers that rely on recommendation systems to reach people outside their existing follower base.
04 What It Means for You
For ordinary users, the most useful benefit could be predictability. A friends-only or followed-accounts feed makes the experience closer to the social networks of the past: you see content from people you intentionally chose rather than whatever the system predicts will keep your attention.
For creators, the effect is mixed. Existing followers may see posts more consistently if algorithmic ranking is removed, but reaching new audiences may become harder if more users switch off recommendations. A creator with 10,000 loyal followers could gain reliability while losing some viral reach.
That could change content strategy. Creators who currently optimize heavily for recommendation systems may place more emphasis on turning casual viewers into followers, email subscribers or community members. In a world where users can easily choose a following-only feed, the value of a direct audience relationship increases.
Platforms also have an economic incentive to keep recommendation feeds attractive because discovery drives session time and advertising inventory. If a large share of users switch to a simpler feed, platforms may have to prove that algorithmic recommendations are useful rather than relying on them as the default experience.
For users, this creates an interesting behavioral experiment. Someone could use the recommendation feed when they actively want discovery and switch to the following feed when they want a quieter, more intentional experience. The ability to move between those modes may be more valuable than forcing everyone into a single design.
05 Numbers + Context
The proposed maximum penalty is A$109.2 million, roughly $79 million, giving the rules real financial weight. The Australian government has already taken a more interventionist approach to social platforms through its children’s social-media restrictions, so this proposal fits a broader policy direction rather than standing alone.
The United States has criticized aspects of Australia’s technology regulation, arguing that large penalties can unfairly target American companies. Australian officials have rejected that characterization and say the rules are based on domestic safety and consumer interests.
06 Earnyx Takeaway
An optional non-algorithmic feed sounds like a straightforward win for user control, but the trade-off is important: recommendation systems are also what make small creators discoverable.
The strongest version of this policy is not a world without algorithms. It is a world where the algorithm is a choice rather than an invisible default. Users could decide when they want discovery and when they simply want to see the people they intentionally followed. That is a much more useful form of control than pretending recommendation systems have no value.
