Class action lawsuit filed against 'Meta' in Australia - Sarmad

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in an Australian court against Facebook and Instagram, platforms owned by Meta Platforms, accusing the social media services of exposing children to harmful content and fostering addiction through their algorithms.

The law firm MinterEllison filed the lawsuit this month in the Federal Court, Australia’s second-highest court. This case could be the first in Australia to bring allegations against social media companies regarding harm inflicted on their users, particularly children and young people.

The class-action suit was brought on behalf of eight plaintiffs who claim they suffered harm from Meta when they were under the age of 18, and they are seeking compensation.

In an order issued on Monday, the court prohibited the publication of any information that might reveal the identities of the plaintiffs or the details of their claims.

In August, Meta agreed to pay $18 billion to settle with nearly all U.S. states in a case alleging that it designed its social media platforms to cause addiction among children.

This lawsuit comes amid escalating tensions between Australia and major technology companies, following the implementation of the world’s first ban on social media use by children under the age of 16, alongside newly proposed rules that could allow users to turn off algorithmically curated content in their feeds.