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

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

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

The class action has been filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs, who allege they were harmed by Meta while they were under 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 that could reveal the identities of the applicants or the contents of the statement of claim.

Meta agreed in August to pay US$18 billion to settle claims brought by nearly all US states that it had designed social media to addict children.

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