Meta faces Australian lawsuit over alleged social media harm to children

Meta and its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram are facing a class action lawsuit in Australia over allegations that addictive design features are harming children and teenagers.

Key points

• Meta agreed in August to pay $18bn to settle with almost all US states to resolve claims that it designed social media to addict children.
• This proceeding raises significant questions concerning the design and operation of social media platforms and their impact on children and teenagers in Australia.
• The class action suit was filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs who allege they were harmed by Meta while they were below the age of 18.
• Litigation Lending Services remarked it was funding the class action for Australian families who "would have no practical means of pursuing these claims against a global technology giant".
• In a suppression order on Monday, the court prohibited the reporting of any information that could reveal their identities and the statement of claim.

In practice, the lawsuit, filed by MinterEllison in the Australian Federal Court, seeks to recover compensation for current and former users of Facebook and Instagram who claim they were exposed to harmful content or developed an addiction to social media since of using those platforms, the law firm stated in an official note published on Thursday.

"This proceeding raises significant questions concerning the design and operation of social media platforms and their impact on children and teenagers in Australia. Those questions will now be considered through the Federal Court process, " MinterEllison Partner William Nolan remarked in the statement.

For context, the class action suit was filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs who allege they were harmed by Meta while they were below the age of 18.

"We are aware of this claim and we will defend ourselves vigorously, " a Meta spokesperson remarked.

For context, the lawsuit comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between Australia and Sizeable Tech after a world-first ban on social media for children below 16 in 2025, and newly proposed rules that could let users switch off algorithm-driven content on their feeds.

For now, meta faces Australian lawsuit over alleged social media harm to children remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.