Toxic algorithms wouldn't let them go - now Australia wants an off switch
The Australian government has introduced legislation aimed at curbing the influence of social media algorithms, including a proposed 'off switch' for recommender feeds. The move is intended to protect vulnerable users from harmful content that can exacerbate eating disorders.
Why it matters
This legislation represents a significant global effort to regulate big tech's impact on mental health and user autonomy.
Figure caption, Watch: Many social platforms already have following-only feeds - here's how they work
Warning: This article contains an account of living with an eating disorder
Varsha Yajman was already self-conscious about the way she looked when she joined social media as a 13-year-old.
Endless workout videos making impossible promises filled her feeds. Through the screen, girls she'd never met urged her to sign up to dangerous calorie challenges. Others proudly promoted their height and weight - even the number of times they had been sent to hospital - on their profiles in a form of twisted competition.
Every night as she fell asleep, Varsha would watch a stranger on the internet diarising what they'd consumed that day.
"I was like, 'I don't need to eat. I can just watch other people eat'," Varsha tells the BBC.
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