Social Rocket
Australia's plan for a freely selectable social media feed has been part of a draft bill in parliament since 15 October 2026. This is confirmed by the responsible Australian ministry. In parallel, a consultation on the implementing rules for "My Feed, My Way" is still running – until 5 November 2026. The algorithm opt-out is therefore further advanced politically than in September, but not yet decided.
The proposal provides that logged-in users can choose between a feed with algorithmic recommendations and a feed with posts from accounts they follow. The decision about feed design is not meant to rest solely with the platform operator. For social media teams, this affects a central reach mechanism: recommending content to people who don't yet follow an account.
Bill introduced, feed rules still in consultation
The Australian ministry dates the introduction of the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026 to 15 October. The draft would oblige online services to take appropriate protective measures and empower the government to specify user controls such as feed choice in more detail. For violations, the government names possible penalties of up to 109,2 million Australian dollars should the law come into force.
The separately opened implementing rules determine how platforms should practically offer the choice between algorithm-recommended and following-only. The deadline for submissions ends on 5 November 2026 at 23:59 (AEDT).
Important for classification: A bill in parliament, a rules text still under consultation and a platform obligation already in force are three different stages. No binding change to Instagram or TikTok feeds can currently be derived from the draft.
Meta warns of less usage – without verifiable reach figures
Instagram head Adam Mosseri criticises the plans, arguing that people use services with a purely following-based feed less intensively. Less time in the app could also mean less reach for creators and businesses. Social Media Today reported on the renewed criticism on 27 October.
This is the position of an affected platform manager, not a published independent impact assessment. The draft reveals neither how many users would permanently choose a following-only feed, nor how this would affect ad prices, creator income or discovery.
At the same time, choosing a feed does not automatically mean the end of algorithmic content: those who keep the recommendation feed will continue to receive it. The concrete design – notice, default setting and later changeability – may be decisive.
Why this matters for German social media strategies
Organic reach on Instagram, TikTok and other services often arises outside the existing follower base. If users switch off recommendations more often, direct follower relationships, recurring formats and active community care could potentially gain weight. For accounts that already grow strongly through recommendations, the effect would differ from established communities.
Brands should not, however, derive a blanket budget shift from this yet. It makes sense to measure separately the share of impressions from non-followers, recurring contacts and conversion along your own community channels. Our overview of how Instagram steers Reels recommendations shows that platforms are already experimenting with more user choice today.
Different rules in the EU
In the European Union, the Digital Services Act requires very large online platforms to offer at least one recommender system option that is not based on profiling. This is not identical to a fully chronological following feed or a mandated default mode. An Australian reform also does not apply directly in Germany.
The dispute runs alongside the separate debate on Australian proceedings over the U16 social media ban and the European proposals on age limits. These measures differ in addressees and legal consequences; they should not be merged into a single "algorithm rule".
Status as of 27 October 2026: The draft bill is before parliament, and the detailed rules remain open until early November. Whether a feed opt-out will be adopted, in what form and with what measurable effect on social reach, remains to be seen.
Sources: Australian ministry, status of the Digital Duty of Care; consultation on My Feed, My Way (15.10.2026); Social Media Today, 27.10.2026; EU Commission, DSA user rights.