Following its decision to restrict minors under 16 from accessing social media websites last December, the Australian government is preparing fresh legislation that would mandate a direct “opt-out” mechanism for algorithmic recommendation systems on digital platforms. Under the upcoming “My Feed, My Way” proposal unveiled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's administration, tech companies must allow Australian users aged 16 and older to turn off recommendation engines entirely, switching instead to feeds that display only content uploaded by accounts, friends and creators they actively choose to follow.

A government statement said on Tuesday social media platforms would be required to send a notification to new and existing users offering them a choice over their default feed.

Australia on Tuesday (September 8) proposed giving social media users the option to select the content they see on their feeds, marking the next step in the government's push to…