Meta sued in Australia class action over alleged social media harm to children

SYDNEY, Oct 22 : A class action lawsuit has been filed in an Australia court against Meta Platforms' Facebook and Instagram, alleging the social media platforms exposed children to harmful content and kept them addictive through algorithms.

The lawsuit, filed in the Federal Court, Australia's second-highest, by law firm MinterEllison this month, could be the first in Australia to blame social media for harming its users, particularly children and teenagers.

• The class action suit has been filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs, who allege they were harmed by Meta while they were under the age of 18, and are seeking compensation.

• Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• In a suppression order on Monday, the court prohibited the reporting of any information which could reveal the identity of the applicants and the statement of claims.

• Meta in August agreed to pay $18 billion to settle with nearly all US states to resolve claims it designed social media to addict children.

• The lawsuit comes amid rising tensions between Australia and Big Tech after a world-first ban on social media for children under 16, and newly proposed rules that could let users switch off algorithm-driven content on their feeds.