Instagram's head says engagement falls by half without the algorithm

Instagram's head Adam Mosseri warned that disabling the platform's recommendation algorithm causes engagement to drop by up to 50% and satisfaction scores to decline significantly, arguing that chronological feeds become overwhelmed with brand content. However, critics note that Mosseri frames reduced engagement as a harm to users, while Australia's proposed Digital Duty of Care bill views lower engagement as a desired outcome to protect user wellbeing. The disagreement centers on who should initiate the choice to disable the algorithm, with Australia proposing required prompts rather than relying on users to find buried settings.