Meta was hit with a class action in the Federal Court of Australia on behalf of people who say Facebook and Instagram harmed them before they turned 18, both through addictive design and by showing them harmful content. The suit, filed by law firm MinterEllison with funder Litigation Lending Services and brought by eight named applicants, alleges Meta built features like infinite scroll, autoplay, and notifications to keep young people on the apps while knowing the risks to children. Much of the claim is under seal, and the court has barred publishing anything that would reveal who the applicants are. Meta said it will defend itself vigorously.
