# The activist fighting social media algorithms

> Chantel Contos has shaped an Australian bill to let users scroll without algorithmic curation, drawing opposition from tech giants and the Trump administration.
- Title: The activist fighting social media algorithms · the Guardian
- Summary: Chantel Contos has shaped an Australian bill to let users scroll without algorithmic curation, drawing opposition from tech giants and the Trump…
- Keywords: chantel contos, social media algorithms, australia, regulation, teenage abuse, activism, news, politics, activist, fighting, social, media
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/oct/12/the-fight-to-switch-off-your-algorithm-podcast
- Published: 2026-10-12T02:00:42+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: chantel contos, social media algorithms, australia, regulation, teenage abuse, activism, news, politics
## From consent to algorithms
Chantel Contos, in her mid-twenties, founded Teach Us Consent at university. The advocacy group successfully campaigned to change Australia's national curriculum to mandate teaching sexual consent in schools.
## Targeting social media feeds
Contos has now focused on social media algorithms. She argues that how feeds are curated and distorted contributes to a rise in teenage sexual abuse in Australia and beyond.
## A bill and powerful opposition
Her campaign has shaped a bill in parliament that would make it much easier for social media users to scroll algorithm-free. It has attracted opposition from within Australia and from the Trump administration.
## Key takeaway

Chantel Contos, who previously changed Australia's school curriculum on consent, has campaigned against social media algorithms and helped shape a bill making algorithm-free scrolling easier.