Social Media Algorithms: How Australia Could Give Users More Control

I don't think we fully understand how much influence social media algorithms have over what young people see online.

Imagine sitting at the cricket, surrounded by thousands of people, while a young teenager scrolls through video after video about weight loss, diets and changing their body.

They haven't necessarily searched for this content. They haven't necessarily chosen to follow the accounts posting it. The platform is recommending it because its algorithm predicts what might keep them watching.

This is one of the biggest challenges with social media today. Young people aren't just choosing what they consume. The platforms are constantly making choices about what to put in front of them.

And those choices matter.

How social media algorithms influence what we see

Social media algorithms use signals about how people interact with content to help determine what appears in their feeds.

Depending on the platform, those signals can include what someone watches, likes, shares, searches for or spends time viewing.

The aim is to recommend content that is likely to keep people engaged.

That can be useful. Algorithms can help us discover new creators, find information about our interests and stay connected with people.

But there is another side to this.

When a platform continually recommends similar content, a person's feed can become increasingly narrow. They may see more of the same ideas, viewpoints or themes, even when they haven't deliberately chosen to seek them out.

For young people, that can mean repeated exposure to content that promotes unrealistic body expectations, restrictive dieting, misogynistic attitudes or other harmful ideas.

A teenager might start by watching fitness videos and gradually receive recommendations for increasingly extreme content. Another might search for healthy recipes and find their feed filling with weight-loss advice.

These outcomes aren't inevitable, and everyone's feed is different. But they show why we need to look beyond individual posts and consider the systems deciding what people see next.

Why algorithmically recommended content matters for young people

Young people are developing their understanding of themselves, their relationships and the world around them.

The content they encounter online can become part of that process.

When certain messages appear repeatedly, they can begin to feel normal. If a teenager keeps seeing videos suggesting that their body needs to change, they may start to believe those expectations are universal.

If a boy is repeatedly shown content promoting hostile attitudes towards women, those ideas can become more familiar and potentially influence how he understands relationships and gender.

The concern isn't just about one video appearing in a feed. It's about the cumulative influence of repeated recommendations.

And adults aren't immune to this either.

We can also find ourselves in online echo chambers, where our feeds reinforce existing beliefs and expose us to increasingly polarised viewpoints.

This is why online safety needs to include an understanding of how platforms operate, not just advice about avoiding individual accounts or posts.

Australia's proposed Digital Duty of Care could change social media feeds

Australia is taking steps towards giving people more control over what they see online.

The Federal Government's proposed Digital Duty of Care includes an initiative called My Feed, My Way. Under the proposal, social media users over 16 would be able to choose between an algorithmically recommended feed and a feed showing content from accounts they follow.

The Digital Duty of Care Bill was introduced to Parliament in October 2026. As of 22 October 2026, the legislation was still progressing through Parliament, so the changes should not yet be described as an enacted requirement. The Government is also consulting on the proposed rules for giving users this choice.

If implemented, the initiative would give Australians a way to opt out of personalised recommendations in their main feed and choose to see content from people and creators they follow instead.

This could make a meaningful difference to how people experience social media. Rather than having a platform continually select content based on predicted engagement, users would have more say over what appears in their feeds.

It wouldn't solve every online safety problem. Harmful content could still be shared by accounts people follow, and other platform features could still influence what users encounter.

But it would give people another way to exercise control over their online experience.

What can you do about your social media algorithm now?

We don't have to wait for legislative changes to start paying attention to our feeds.

There are already steps people can take to influence the recommendations they receive.

Reset suggested content on Instagram

Instagram has a Reset Suggested Content feature that allows eligible users to refresh recommendations across areas such as Explore, Reels and Feed.

You can also use the platform's content preferences to indicate that you're not interested in particular posts and adjust what you want to see more or less of.

Refresh your TikTok For You feed

TikTok offers a Refresh your For You feed option that can reset the recommendations shown in your For You feed.

The exact settings and menu locations can change as platforms update their apps, so check the current settings in your version.

Pay attention to what keeps appearing

Notice the patterns in your feed.

Are you repeatedly seeing the same kinds of opinions? Is the platform recommending content you don't remember asking for? Are you being drawn into topics you didn't intend to spend time on?

You can use the platform's feedback controls, review the accounts you follow and make more deliberate choices about what you engage with.

These steps won't give you complete control over a platform's recommendation system, but they can help you take a more active role in shaping your online experience.

Online safety requires more than individual responsibility

Resetting an algorithm can be useful, but it shouldn't become the main solution to harmful content online.

Young people shouldn't have to work out how to manage complex recommendation systems on their own, particularly when those systems are designed to keep users engaged.

Platforms have a role to play in identifying and reducing foreseeable harm. Governments have a role in setting and enforcing appropriate standards. Schools and parents can help young people understand how these systems work and develop the skills to question what they see.

These responsibilities need to work together.

Digital literacy means understanding that a social media feed isn't a neutral reflection of the world. It is a selection of content shaped by a platform's systems and the signals those systems use.

Once young people understand that, they can begin to question why particular content is appearing, how it might influence them and whether it deserves their attention.

We need to take back some control over our feeds

The ability to choose between recommended content and a following-only feed could be an important step towards giving Australians more control over their social media experience.

But the broader lesson matters regardless of how the legislation progresses.

We need to understand that what appears on our screens isn't simply a reflection of what we want to see. Platforms make decisions about what to recommend, and those decisions can influence the ideas we're exposed to every day.

For parents, educators and young people, learning how algorithms work is an important part of online safety.

I'm Paris McNeil, and through my school workshops and presentations, I help young people become more critical consumers of technology.

Because staying safe online isn't just about knowing what to avoid. It's also about understanding how technology influences what we see, what we think and what we come to believe.