Meta Faces Landmark Class-Action Lawsuit in Australia Over Youth Addiction
Meta faces a landmark class-action lawsuit in Australia over addictive algorithms on Facebook and Instagram, accusing the tech giant of harming minors' mental health.
Meta Faces Class-Action Lawsuit in Australia Over Youth Addictive Algorithms
Technology giant Meta Platforms is facing a landmark class-action lawsuit filed in the Federal Court of Australia. Brought by the law firm MinterEllison and funded by Litigation Lending Services, the suit accuses the company of systematically harming the mental and physical health of minors through its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
According to the court filings, Meta intentionally designed its algorithms to maximize user engagement and foster addiction among children under 18. The eight representative plaintiffs argue that the company prioritized profits over the well-being of young users despite knowing the potential risks.
Legal Proceedings and Global Context
A Sydney court has issued a suppression order on the identities of the plaintiffs and full details of the claim, keeping the exact compensation figures confidential for now. However, the lawsuit aims to represent hundreds of thousands of users, which could accumulate into hundreds of millions of dollars.
"The monetization of children's attention through predatory algorithmic engineering represents a fundamental breach of corporate duty," noted legal analysts following the case.
This legal challenge coincides with Australia's aggressive regulatory stance. The country is advancing legislation to ban children under 16 from holding social media accounts and proposing rules that would allow users to disable algorithmic feeds entirely.
