A Brazilian consumer rights organisation has launched legal action against the Brazilian units of Meta Platforms, TikTok and Kwai, seeking damages of 3 billion reais ($525.27 million) over alleged failures to protect young users on their platforms.

The Collective Defense Institute filed two lawsuits demanding the social media companies create robust data protection mechanisms and issue warnings about potential mental health risks to children and teenagers from platform addiction.

The legal action comes amid heightened scrutiny of social media regulation in Brazil, following recent disputes between X owner Elon Musk and the Brazilian judiciary that resulted in substantial fines.

Lawyer Lillian Salgado, one of the plaintiffs, emphasised the urgent need for reform: "It is urgent that measures be adopted in order to change the way the algorithm works, the processing of data from users under 18, and the way in which teenagers aged 13 and over are supervised and their accounts created, in order to ensure a safer, healthier experience... as is already the case in developed countries."

Meta Platforms responded to the lawsuit with a statement about its commitment to user safety, saying it wants "young people to have safe and age-appropriate experiences on our apps, and we have been working on these issues for over a decade, developing more than 50 tools, resources, and features to support teens and their guardians." The company also announced plans to introduce a new "Teen Account" feature on Instagram in Brazil, which will automatically restrict account visibility and user communications.

TikTok indicated it had not yet received notification of the case, while Kwai issued a statement emphasising that user safety, particularly regarding minors, remains one of its key priorities.

The legal action comes as Brazil's social media market continues to expand, with the country hosting 170 million active social media users, representing 84 per cent of its population.

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