Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum and to have my second reading speech incorporated.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

ONLINE SAFETY AMENDMENT (FIX OUR FEEDS) BILL 2026

I rise today in favour of the Online Safety Amendment (Fix Our Feeds) Bill 2026. This Greens bill will amend the Online Safety Act 2021 to insert a provision requiring social media platforms to provide users with the option to opt out of algorithms at any time, as part of implementing a broader digital duty of care.

For too long big tech giants have been profiting off toxic business models that are designed to keep people hooked, just like cigarettes or pokie machines. Multi-billion dollar companies like Meta and Google are making massive profits off a product that is deliberately designed to be addictive, even when it is harmful.

While the harms of social media are new, the consequences of big corporations profiting off our most vulnerable are not. The gambling industry designed their poker machines to be addictive, the tobacco industry designed their cigarettes to keep consumers coming back even when they knew it was toxic and deadly, and now we have the social media giants targeting their users with addictive content. A US Court recently handed down a landmark decision that ruled that multi-billion dollar companies Meta and Google were found legally responsible for deliberately designing addictive products that led to harm.

Big Tech is the new "Big Tobacco" and it is critical that our Government takes action.

I would like to thank Chanel Contos and the team at 'Teach Us Consent' who have put forward this critical campaign to 'Fix Our Feeds.' After decades of Government unwillingness to tackle the harms of social media algorithms, this campaign puts forward a clear cut solution—users should have the right to opt in or out of social media algorithms at any time.

These toxic algorithms are not only deliberately addictive, they also feed hate and division, fuelling sexism, misogyny, hate and extremism online, and in the community. Social media apps and their insidious algorithms have become the breeding grounds for extremism and radicalisation, curating a feed that is wired to fuel the user's vulnerabilities. Whether it's racism, sexism or blatant misogyny, these toxic algorithms create echo chambers of hate and division which translate into users' everyday lives. As noted by Teach Us Consent, it takes just 23 minutes for a social media account mimicking a 16-18-year-old boy to be fed misogynistic content, regardless of the account's viewing preferences. Worse yet, studies show that 73% of online users claim to have seen misogynistic content online. This harmful content puts men and women in danger of serious harm, with the increasing rates of misogyny and sexual violence intrinsically linked to the thousands of anti-feminist and 'manosphere' videos flooding people's algorithms.

This should not be the status quo for online users and this Greens bill to amend the Online Safety Act would put the power back in the hands of the user—not the big tech giants.

We need regulations and guardrails that limit the power these big tech giants have on what their users are consuming. The Greens 'Fix our Feeds' bill would implement a simple opt out option for users to decide whether they want to be flooded with harmful content or not. We know what the consequences are when big industries, like the tobacco and gambling industry, are given free rein to sell addictive and harmful products to vulnerable consumers. The US Court's ruling should be a warning for all governments to act now.

While the Australian Government implemented its world first social media ban on under 16s three months ago, it is clear that a blanket ban on social media does not go anywhere near combatting the harm of social media to users of all ages. Toxic and dangerous algorithms are still running wild and social division has reached its highest point. At the time of the social media ban's introduction into this place, the Greens were clear from the start—you do not make social media safer by kicking kids off the platforms. Big tech giants must be responsible for and made to ensure all users are safe on their platforms.

The Government promised to implement a digital duty of care alongside their social media ban, but it has now been 18 months and we are yet to see any further progress. While the Government has been slow to act, the Greens are getting on with the job and will implement a digital duty of care on tech companies as part of this bill. By imposing a duty of care on companies like Meta and Google, the big tech giants will have a legal responsibility to ensure their platforms are safe for use and are not harmful to any users. This bill would force the tech companies to comply with a range of legal obligations, including to assess and mitigate risk, ensure transparency over functions of their service such as algorithms and advertising, and protect Australians' privacy. For too long, the Government has let the big tech companies off the hook—this digital duty of care would finally hold the tech companies accountable for the harm they have caused.

Governments and courts across the world are acknowledging that the big tech giants cannot be trusted to protect their users from the harm caused by their product. In 2022, the European Union implemented their Digital Services Act, which allows social media users to opt out of algorithms and puts the safety of online users at the centre of social media regulation. Australia should follow in the EU's lead and support the Greens' Bill to fix our feeds.

By fixing our feeds and implementing a digital duty of care, this bill reflects the urgent need to take on these multi-billion dollar social media companies and ensure their toxic business models are regulated. This will be a critical step in holding the big tech giants to account, and would finally put the user's online safety above big tech's corporate profits.

Public sentiment is clear—people want the Government to take on big tech giants and prioritise the safety of Australians online. Users of all ages and on a variety of platforms are exposed to harm from toxic algorithms and the dangerous content they push. Any solution to combat the harms of social media must protect all Australian users, regardless of the year they were born.

I urge the Government to listen to Australians and support this solution. The 'Fix our Feeds' bill would take Australia one step further to protecting all users by putting them back in control of the content they consume, limiting exposure to harmful content and addictive algorithms. Big Tech is on track to become today's Big Tobacco and it is the responsibility of our Parliament to safeguard future generations from their insidious harms.

I urge the Government, and the Parliament more broadly, to honour its promise and support this bill to fix our feeds and finally implement a digital duty of care to give all Australians a safer online experience.

I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.