Meta sued in Australia class action over alleged social media harm to children

SYDNEY, Oct 22 (Reuters) A class action lawsuit has been filed in an Australia court against Meta Platforms Facebook ​and Instagram, alleging the social media ‌platforms exposed children to harmful content and kept them addictive through algorithms. The lawsuit, filed in the Federal Court, Australia s second-highest, by law firm MinterEllison this ‌month, ​could be the first ⁠in Australia to blame ⁠social media for harming its users, particularly children and teenagers. • The class action suit has been filed on behalf of ​eight plaintiffs, who allege they were harmed by Meta while they were under the ⁠age of 18, and ⁠are seeking compensation. • Meta did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. • ​In a suppression order on Monday, the ‌court prohibited the reporting of any information which could reveal the identity of the applicants and the statement of claims. • Meta ⁠in August agreed to pay $18 billion to settle with nearly all US states to resolve claims ⁠it designed ‌s