The Australian government is considering whether to require social media users to opt in to algorithmic recommendation systems, rather than having them switched on by default, as part of a broader plan to address family and domestic violence.
As reported by The Guardian, Australian Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said social media was “playing a huge role” in rising rates of sexual violence and choking among teenagers, and confirmed the opt-in and opt-out options were under consideration as the government develops its second action plan to end family and domestic violence against women and children. The review follows the death of a 16-year-old girl in Sydney after a suspected sexual strangulation act.
Speaking on the ABC’s “Insiders” program, Plibersek said social media algorithms are “deliberately” feeding boys and men violent, misogynistic content and normalizing strangulation during sex. “If you set up a social media account as a young boy in Australia today, it takes an average of 23 minutes for you to be fed misogynistic, violent misogynistic content online. That is a deliberate decision of the social media companies that is wrecking our young boys, giving them all of the wrong ideas about what healthy relationships look like,” she said, adding that “60% of young people now report that they’ve experienced strangulation during a sexual encounter.”
Plibersek said the government is also examining a recent Meta case in the United States and a UK ban on pornography depicting strangulation and suffocation as it shapes its next steps.
Advocate Pushes for a Stronger Standard
The push for reform has been driven in part by Chanel Contos, founder and chief executive of Teach Us Consent, who used a National Press Club address to argue that an opt-in model, rather than opt-out, is the only version strong enough to withstand the industry designing around it. “I think political will is the only thing stopping us getting over the line,” Contos said.
Under Contos’s proposal, algorithms would be off by default, with feeds appearing in chronological order from followed accounts unless a user actively chose to turn recommendations on. Explore-style pages would surface content based on a broad national average rather than individual behavioral profiling. “It is too easy for big tech to design schemes that appear as structural reform but actually suit them just fine,” she said, adding that “opt-in algorithms would fundamentally make the transition onto social media for 16-year-olds and other children safer, and it would bring the principle of affirmative consent to our screens.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed giving Australians more control over what they see online but has not committed to Contos’s opt-in model specifically. “In response to community concern about the impact of algorithms, we are considering options to ensure people have greater control over what they receive on their devices,” he said. Communications Minister Anika Wells said “deliberately opaque” recommender systems have allowed platforms to shape Australian culture “for better or worse,” adding: “If we want to prevent harm, we must fix platforms that reward it.”
Part of a Wider Regulatory Push
The algorithm proposal sits alongside several other measures already in motion. Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s took effect in December, and the government has introduced age verification for pornography, though Plibersek has previously acknowledged children can still get around the new rules. Labor is also preparing to consult on a digital duty of care bill, which would require tech and AI companies to proactively reduce foreseeable risks of harm to users, with an exposure draft expected later this month.
Plibersek said the duty of care legislation, along with a second round of privacy reforms, could also address concerns around camera-equipped smart glasses. “Tech companies should know that their products are safe and make them safe before they release them onto an unsuspecting public,” she said, noting that the Attorney-General has asked the Privacy Commissioner to examine the devices specifically over concerns they could be used to covertly film people during sexual encounters for blackmail purposes.
For platforms operating in Australia, an opt-in requirement for recommendation systems would represent a materially different kind of intervention than content takedowns or age gates. It would target the distribution mechanism that determines what any given post or creator reaches, rather than the content itself. No timeline has been set for legislation, and the government has not indicated which model it favors.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
The Australian government is considering whether to require social media users to opt in to algorithmic recommendation systems, rather than having them switched on by default, as part of a broader plan to address family and domestic violence.
As reported by The Guardian, Australian Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said social media was “playing a huge role” in rising rates of sexual violence and choking among teenagers, and confirmed the opt-in and opt-out options were under consideration as the government develops its second action plan to end family and domestic violence against women and children. The review follows the death of a 16-year-old girl in Sydney after a suspected sexual strangulation act.
Speaking on the ABC’s “Insiders” program, Plibersek said social media algorithms are “deliberately” feeding boys and men violent, misogynistic content and normalizing strangulation during sex. “If you set up a social media account as a young boy in Australia today, it takes an average of 23 minutes for you to be fed misogynistic, violent misogynistic content online. That is a deliberate decision of the social media companies that is wrecking our young boys, giving them all of the wrong ideas about what healthy relationships look like,” she said, adding that “60% of young people now report that they’ve experienced strangulation during a sexual encounter.”
Plibersek said the government is also examining a recent Meta case in the United States and a UK ban on pornography depicting strangulation and suffocation as it shapes its next steps.
Advocate Pushes for a Stronger Standard
The push for reform has been driven in part by Chanel Contos, founder and chief executive of Teach Us Consent, who used a National Press Club address to argue that an opt-in model, rather than opt-out, is the only version strong enough to withstand the industry designing around it. “I think political will is the only thing stopping us getting over the line,” Contos said.
Under Contos’s proposal, algorithms would be off by default, with feeds appearing in chronological order from followed accounts unless a user actively chose to turn recommendations on. Explore-style pages would surface content based on a broad national average rather than individual behavioral profiling. “It is too easy for big tech to design schemes that appear as structural reform but actually suit them just fine,” she said, adding that “opt-in algorithms would fundamentally make the transition onto social media for 16-year-olds and other children safer, and it would bring the principle of affirmative consent to our screens.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed giving Australians more control over what they see online but has not committed to Contos’s opt-in model specifically. “In response to community concern about the impact of algorithms, we are considering options to ensure people have greater control over what they receive on their devices,” he said. Communications Minister Anika Wells said “deliberately opaque” recommender systems have allowed platforms to shape Australian culture “for better or worse,” adding: “If we want to prevent harm, we must fix platforms that reward it.”
Part of a Wider Regulatory Push
The algorithm proposal sits alongside several other measures already in motion. Australia’s ban on social media accounts for under-16s took effect in December, and the government has introduced age verification for pornography, though Plibersek has previously acknowledged children can still get around the new rules. Labor is also preparing to consult on a digital duty of care bill, which would require tech and AI companies to proactively reduce foreseeable risks of harm to users, with an exposure draft expected later this month.
Plibersek said the duty of care legislation, along with a second round of privacy reforms, could also address concerns around camera-equipped smart glasses. “Tech companies should know that their products are safe and make them safe before they release them onto an unsuspecting public,” she said, noting that the Attorney-General has asked the Privacy Commissioner to examine the devices specifically over concerns they could be used to covertly film people during sexual encounters for blackmail purposes.
For platforms operating in Australia, an opt-in requirement for recommendation systems would represent a materially different kind of intervention than content takedowns or age gates. It would target the distribution mechanism that determines what any given post or creator reaches, rather than the content itself. No timeline has been set for legislation, and the government has not indicated which model it favors.
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