Your followers could soon decide whether they see your content through an algorithm or not. Australia has published draft laws that would require social media platforms to ask every user to choose between a personalized feed and one made up only of the friends and creators they follow. The plan only applies to people in Australia currently and is still out for consultation, so nothing changes on your uploads today.
The bigger story is what happens if other governments copy this idea. Australia's last major social media rule has since been picked up by several other countries. If the same were to happen again, this consultation could end up shaping how audiences around the world find your videos. Here's how the proposals could change the way people discover you, and what we'd do about it now.
What's changed?
The Australian government released draft legislation for a new Digital Duty of Care on 8 September 2026. At its center is an initiative called ‘My Feed, My Way’; a proposal which would require social media platforms to give users the power to control their default feed.
TikTok, Instagram and Facebook already let you switch to a feed of accounts you follow, but this is a feature you have to look for. Australia's plan would put that choice in front of every user, which is why it's worth understanding even if most of your audience lives in a different country.
Users who opt in would keep personalized recommendations from the algorithm. Users who opt out would only see content from friends and creators they choose to follow. The planned rules cover all social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Algorithms won’t disappear and – if the proposal goes ahead – users would be able to adjust their settings at any time, giving them more control over their feeds. Communications Minister Anika Wells said "Australians over the age of 16 will be able to opt in or opt out of the algorithm easily," while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the plan as "not about giving government control, it is about giving people control."
This builds on Australia's ban on social media for under-16s, which came into force on 10 December 2025 and which the government calls a world-leading age ban. Several other countries have since announced age limits of their own. Our breakdown of how social media bans for under-16s are spreading covers where things stand and what it means for your channels. If the algorithm opt-out follows a similar path, the choice Australian users get first could reach your viewers in other countries too.
Why this matters for creators
A follow has always been a signal of interest in your content. In a feed built only from followed accounts, it becomes a direct line to that viewer outside of algorithm changes and government policies.
If some of your audience switches to a following-only feed, you'll likely reach fewer new people through recommendations. The flip side is that your existing followers matter more, because your posts compete with fewer strangers for their attention. How many people might actually opt out is still unknown, since no platform has offered this choice to its users before.
If fewer users have an algorithm-driven feed, standing out will become even more important. Clear packaging of your videos helps grab attention in a feed people scroll by choice. A recognizable thumbnail style, a title that tells viewers exactly what they'll get and a format they know from last week all make your video easy to spot among other accounts.
Creators who already have regular viewers will be best placed if Australia passes its new proposal. Craft YouTuber Madame Myriad described the importance of building an audience when Uppbeat asked her about building a community around your content. "Even when my channel was really small and I didn't get that many comments, I would still have these sessions, sometimes for two or three hours, and solidly reply to comments. Now I'm lucky to have this whole group of usernames that I recognize," she told us.
If most of your growth comes from trend-led clips reaching people who don't follow you yet, keep an eye on your Australian numbers if any opt-out goes live. Those figures will give you an early read on what to expect if the idea spreads to the countries where more of your audience lives.
Uppbeat's take: Build an audience that chooses you
We like anything that rewards creators for earning a genuine following. A feed people choose for themselves favors consistency, recognizable formats and real connection over chasing the next spike. Discovery still matters though. Today's casual viewer is tomorrow's follower, so a balance of both puts you in the strongest position wherever this goes next. Here's what we'd do now.
Give people a reason to follow. End your next video by telling viewers what's coming next, then check whether your follower conversion rate moves over the following three uploads.
Tidy your top ten videos. Update titles, thumbnails and descriptions so each one is easy to recognize and understand at a glance, then compare click-through rate before and after.
Plan a mix of content. Pair short, trend-aware pieces built for discovery with a regular series or deep dive your followers can look forward to. Our guide on how to make a series on TikTok covers the basics.
Build a line to your audience that you own. Pinned posts, community posts and an email list give people a way to find you that doesn't depend on any feed setting.
Watch your traffic sources. Filter your analytics by country and track how much of your Australian audience arrives from recommendations versus followers once platforms roll out the choice.
When your audience has more choice, every follow matters
The more people choose to follow you, the less any feed setting – in Australia or anywhere else – can change who sees your work. Pick your next upload and add a clear reason to follow at the end. Then look at your three most recent titles and rewrite any that don't say exactly what the viewer will get.
If you want to go deeper on turning casual viewers into regulars, Filmbro co-founder Arnaud's advice on how to grow your audience shares the habits that helped him build a loyal following from scratch.
