Social media users will be given greater protections from dangerous content online, but the communications minister will no longer be the arbiter of what's considered harmful.
Communications Minister Anika Wells will introduce laws to set up a digital duty of care on Thursday, which will restrict content for underage users and give people the option of an algorithm-less feed.
Under the proposal, social media platforms would be forced to protect users under 18 from content that promotes crime or eating disorders, pornography or misogynistic content, as well as posts that cause distress.
But the minister will not be able to have discretionary powers to define what could constitute a new harm following concerns it could be considered political censorship.
Parliament would still be able to legislate further protections under the duty of care.
Ms Wells will say in an address to the National Press Club the reforms are crucial to ensuring safety for users online.
"Australia's Digital Duty of Care will set basic safety standards for the online services we use every day, just like we have in every other industry," she will say in the speech.
"We must shift the burden from the shoulders of victims to the companies that are creating the environments where harms occur.
"The core of the duty is to provide a safe online environment, where all Australians are protected from seriously harmful and illegal content."
The digital duty of care will also contain carve-outs for public interest journalists, clarifying protections in place under the Online Safety Act.
Ms Wells will say giving users would have the power to choose how they view their social media feeds.
"Social media platforms will have to provide user empowerment tools that give people over the age of 16 choice about what they see in their feed," she will say.
"If someone wants their feed filled with friends and creators they follow, the social media platforms must give them that choice, and if you're happy to stick with your algorithm, you can do so."
The federal government unveiled a draft proposal for the digital duty of care in September, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said was the next phase of online protections after the world-first ban on under-16s using social media.
"If the government can demonstrate that this digital duty of care bill has been dramatically changed ... bring it forward, we'll look at it," deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume told reporters on Wednesday, before Ms Wells announced the changes."But to be honest there's kind of nothing in it that we can support."