# An algorithm off switch isn’t enough. Big tech needs a duty of care over addictive designs | Zoe Daniel

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/an-algorithm-off-switch-isnt-enough-big-tech-needs-a-duty-of-care-over-addictive-designs-zoe-daniel/
- Published: 2026-09-05T20:00:45+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-05T20:15:55+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/06/digital-duty-of-care-can-hold-big-tech-to-account-meta-tiktok-addictive-social-media-ban
- Topics: AI, Business, Fitness, Government, Health, Politics, Technology

## Key points

- Opinion piece calls for legally enforceable "duty of care" on tech platforms
- Argues algorithm opt-outs alone don't fix addictive design harms
- Cites 2024 bill proposing fines up to 10% of global turnover

## Summary

In this opinion piece, former Australian MP Zoe Daniel argues that letting users switch off "the algorithm" on social media platforms is insufficient to address the harms of addictive tech design, and calls instead for a legally binding "duty of care" on big tech companies. She contrasts this with the Australian government's under-16s social media ban, which she describes as a populist, patchy measure that shifts responsibility onto consumers rather than addressing the platforms' underlying design choices. This matters, she argues, because algorithmic systems are driving rising mental health problems, shrinking attention spans, social isolation and the amplification of divisive content, with the urgency compounded by rapid advances in AI that governments are struggling to regulate.

Daniel draws on the "Fix our feeds" campaign led by consent advocate Chanel Contos, who recently told the National Press Club that tech companies can too easily present cosmetic changes as genuine reform. Daniel also references her own 2024 private member's bill, modelled on UK and EU law, which would have mandated strong default privacy settings, an algorithm "switch off" option, mandatory risk assessments, researcher access to platform systems, and fines of up to 10% of global turnover for non-compliance. She argues such enforceable measures, rather than reactive content removal or voluntary opt-outs, are needed to hold platforms accountable for the safety of the digital spaces they create.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.