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Reddit announced a redesigned homepage with two feed options: 'For You,' which blends posts from joined communities with algorithmic recommendations, and 'Following,' which shows only subscribed communities. The company says the feeds are meant to boost discovery, connection and participation, and users can toggle between them with their last choice remembered on return visits.
An analysis argues that AI and social-media companies focus safety efforts on preventing high-profile disasters—the kind that trigger lawsuits or headlines—while ignoring subtler, widespread harms like emotional dependence on chatbots or engagement-driven feeds. It cites Google backing state-level chatbot bills in 2025 that banned sexual content and self-harm promotion but included broad exemptions, while tougher measures aimed at preventing emotional dependency failed, including in Nebraska.
Australia is moving to enforce a law barring children under 16 from social media accounts, partly in response to accounts like Varsha Yajman's, who says platform algorithms pushed her toward pro-eating-disorder content as a teenager. Yajman, now 24 and recovering from anorexia, says she still receives weight-loss related content despite using strict safety settings and blocked keywords.
Billionaire investor Mark Cuban argued in a series of X posts that public reaction to anti-AI content on social media is more dangerous than AI systems or agent swarms acting on their own. He claimed platforms like Meta and Google amplify anti-AI sentiment far more than positive coverage, even as those same companies profit from AI investment. Cuban said he isn't calling for a development pause, arguing it's not realistic anyway.
Australian lawmakers are considering new rules that would give users the ability to opt out of algorithm-driven content feeds on social media platforms. The move follows Australia's earlier push to ban social media access for teenagers, extending regulatory pressure on tech platforms operating in the country.
Australia's government unveiled proposed legislation that would require social media platforms to let users over 16 choose whether their feeds are shaped by algorithms or simply show content from accounts they follow. The bill also mandates protections for children against harmful content, including material promoting eating disorders, misogyny, pornography, crime and dangerous stunts, and covers apps, games and AI chatbots with addictive design features. Companies that fail to comply could face fines up to AU$109.2 million.
The Albanese Government has released draft legislation for a Digital Duty of Care, requiring social media platforms to notify users and let them choose between algorithm-curated feeds or feeds based only on accounts they follow. The rules would also force games, apps and AI chatbots to shield under-18 users from addictive design features and harmful content such as material promoting eating disorders, misogyny, pornography, dangerous stunts or serious bullying, while giving eSafety power to order removal of nudify apps and sites.