Content provided by British Council
[1] Social media algorithms are a powerful feature of online life, serving up content to users based on their browsing habits or personal data. Australia could soon give citizens the choice to opt out of algorithms under new legislation that also threatens big tech companies with fines if they fail to protect young users from harmful content.
[2] Open TikTok, Instagram or other platforms and you’ll see a scrolling feed or recommendations bar showing content targeted to your interests. These posts are selected for users based on programming rules called algorithms that predict what you will engage with – whether it’s something you like or that riles you.
[3] Broadly speaking, the recommendations are based on what the machine knows about you: what you’ve interacted with or posted about online, or information such as your age, job and location. Social media giants usually keep the coding behind these algorithms – the so-called “secret sauce” that drives traffic to their platforms – closely guarded.
[4] It’s a familiar pattern for many – open your phone on a break and before you know it, an hour has passed, and you’re still scrolling. That’s by design, researchers and activists say. “These platforms have engineered addictive features that keep children and adults online longer than they intend, often at the expense of sleep, well-being and real-world connection,” Mark Williams, an honorary professor of cognitive neuroscience at Australia’s Macquarie University, said.
[5] In a landmark trial in Los Angeles this year, tech giants were accused of creating “addiction machines”. Experts point to strategies companies use to encourage scrolling, like never-ending feeds, intermittent rewards and time-sensitive notifications. “This unpredictability triggers the dopamine system, creating a compulsive cycle of seeking and anticipation,” wrote Quynh Hoang, a lecturer at the University of Leicester in Britain.
[6] This can create dependence similar to substance addiction, research published in the online medical journal Cureus last year found. By pushing people to content they respond to emotionally, many say social media can drive us into “rabbit holes” that are difficult to escape. The recommendations “are designed to hold our attention, and too often that means privileging provocative and extreme content because outrage drives engagement and engagement drives profit”, said Steven Roberts, from Monash University in Australia.
[7] Under Australia’s new rules, social media giants must allow users to “opt out” of the algorithm. It also holds the firms responsible for protecting under-18s from pornography, online bullying and content that glorifies crime or encourages eating disorders. The initiative aims to bring social media back to the basics – a feed focused on updates from friends, family and pages you follow.
[8] “The government has handed Australians a switch. Whether anyone flips it is another matter,” said Lisa Harrison, a lecturer in communication and media at Australia’s Flinders University. She noted a 2025 survey of over 6,000 people in six countries, in which only one in five said they would switch off personalised recommendations if they could.
Source: Agence France-Presse, September 9
