The proposed Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026 would require online platforms to proactively identify and reduce risks to users and specifically recognises content that “encourages, promotes or provides instruction for disordered eating” as harmful to children. It also places obligations on platforms to assess and mitigate risks arising from recommender systems, endless feeds, and other design features that can negatively impact young people.

EDFA Executive Director Jane Rowan said the framework recognised what families had been saying for years: online harms are not simply about content, but about how platforms actively promote and amplify that content.

“For families supporting a young person with an eating disorder, the issue has never been limited to harmful content existing online,” Ms Rowan said.

“The real concern is that platforms can repeatedly push that content towards vulnerable young people through recommendation systems designed to maximise engagement.

“The Digital Duty of Care recognises that platform design matters and that companies have a responsibility to address foreseeable harms before harm occurs.”

EDFA’s own research highlights the scale of concern among families.

An EDFA survey conducted in late 2023 found 81% of parents and carers believed social media either contributed to the development of their loved one’s eating disorder or significantly hampered recovery.

EDFA’s most recent study on social media age restrictions suggests age restrictions alone are not enough to protect young people from online harm. Since the restrictions were introduced, parental concerns regarding poor eating behaviours among young people increased from 29% in November 2025 to 41% in June 2026, while concerns about poor self-esteem and self-image rose from 28% to 37%.

Ms Rowan said the findings reinforce the need for stronger platform accountability.

“The early evidence tells us that age restrictions alone cannot solve this problem,” Ms Rowan said.

“Families continue to see harmful content, body image pressures, and eating disorder promotion reaching young people through the algorithm and platform design.

“The Digital Duty of Care moves the conversation from asking parents to do more, to requiring technology companies to take responsibility for the risks their products create.”

EDFA particularly welcomed provisions requiring platforms to conduct risk assessments and address harms associated with recommender algorithms, endless-feed features and other engagement-driven design elements.

The organisation is calling on the Government to ensure eating disorder harms remain a priority throughout implementation of the legislation, including:

• strong guidance on identifying and removing eating disorder and extreme weight-loss content;
• transparency reporting on the prevalence and amplification of eating disorder-related material;
• independent researcher access to platform data;
• robust oversight of algorithms that promote body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviours; and
• safeguards to prevent children being repeatedly exposed to harmful eating disorder content.

“If implemented effectively, this framework could be a turning point in protecting young Australians from online harms that contribute to eating disorders and poor mental health,” she said.

Media Contact:
Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA)
Media contact:  Jaimie Robertson – EDFA Head of Stakeholder Engagement
P: 0468 525 680
E: jaimie.robertson@edfa.org.au