Overview
- Chanel Contos told the National Press Club on Wednesday that social platforms should default to non‑algorithmic feeds so new users, especially 16‑ to 18‑year‑olds, are not rapidly routed into misogynistic 'manosphere' content.
- The federal government has said it is considering options to give Australians more control over feeds but has not endorsed Contos’s specific opt‑in model and is weighing both opt‑in and opt‑out approaches.
- Communications Minister Anika Wells is finalising an exposure draft of a proposed Digital Duty of Care to be released this month that would legally require platforms to identify and reduce foreseeable risks rather than rely on user reports.
- Contos and campaigners cite research claiming rapid exposure of teen boys to harmful content and point to Man Box findings linking manosphere beliefs to higher rates of substance harm, suicidal thoughts and partner violence, though platforms dispute some of these claims.
- Public pressure has risen after several high‑profile teen incidents, including a NSW Police probe into the recent death of a 16‑year‑old, and an open letter petition opposing algorithmic feeds has gathered more than 13,000 signatures.