Meta faces Australia-first alleged youth-harm class action

A class-action lawsuit has been filed this month in the Federal Court of Australia against Meta over alleged harm to children and teenagers on Facebook and Instagram. Law firm MinterEllison brought the case on behalf of eight unnamed lead applicants who say they were harmed while under 18 and are seeking compensation. The claim alleges the platforms are addictive by design through algorithms, that young users were exposed to harmful content, and that Meta knew of risks to young users. On Monday the court issued a suppression order barring reporting of the applicants' identities and the statement of claim. A Meta spokesperson said by email the company is aware of the claim and will defend itself vigorously. The case is described as an Australia-first of its kind and arrives amid Australia's world-first ban on social media for under-16s, covering Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, Kick and Twitch. The allegations have not been established in court, and the suppression order leaves the full statement of claim unreported.