Australia introduces Digital Duty of Care bill for social media

The Australian federal government has introduced the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026, aimed at increasing the responsibility of technology companies to prevent online harms. A central component of the reform is the ‘My Feed, My Way’ initiative, which would allow users to opt out of algorithmic content selection in favor of non-personalized feeds.

The proposal has met political opposition from the Coalition. The Liberal Party and The Nationals have stated they will oppose the bill in its current form, arguing it grants the Communications Minister excessive power to define harms. Opponents claim the legislation lacks adequate safeguards for free speech and journalism, potentially allowing for political censorship of lawful speech and news.

While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the legislation as ‘world leading,’ observers note that similar frameworks, such as the European Union’s Digital Services Act, already exist. The bill is expected to be discussed by the Australian parliament before the end of the year.