Meta pledges to 'defend ourselves vigorously' against Australian child harm lawsuit

Key points

• Meta has said it will defend itself vigorously against a class action in Australia's Federal Court. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of eight applicants, alleges that addictive design features on Facebook and Instagram harm children and teenagers.
• It seeks compensation for users exposed to harmful content or who developed a social media addiction. The Federal Court in Sydney has issued a suppression order over details of the claim and the applicants' identities.
• Separately, a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay US$25 billion for misleading consumers, a ruling the company says it will appeal.