Our Brains Weren’t Built for This Much Comparison

Meta Platforms Inc. faces a class action lawsuit in Australia alleging that its social media services, Facebook and Instagram, caused harm to children and teenagers through addictive design features and exposure to harmful content. The legal action was filed in the Australian Federal Court on October 9 by the law firm MinterEllison, representing eight unnamed lead applicants who claim they were damaged while under the age of 18. The suit seeks to recover compensation for both current and former users of the platforms. MinterEllison announced the filing publicly on Wednesday, stating that the case raises critical questions regarding the operational design of social media networks and their specific impact on young Australians. The Federal Court in Sydney issued a suppression order on Monday prohibiting the publication of any information that could reveal the identities of the applicants or the contents of their statements of claim. This procedural step aims to protect the privacy of the minor plaintiffs during the litigation process. Litigation Lending Services, based in Sydney, is funding the class action. The firm stated it is supporting Australian families who would otherwise lack the practical financial means to pursue claims against a global technology corporation. William Nolan, a partner at MinterEllison, commented on the significance of the proceedings in a press release. He noted that the case will allow the Federal Court to consider issues concerning the design and operation of social media platforms. A Meta spokesperson responded to the allegations via email, stating that the company is aware of the claim and intends to defend itself vigorously. This Australian litigation occurs amidst heightened regulatory tension between the government and major technology firms. Australia implemented a world-first blanket ban on social media accounts for children under 16 in December 2025. While the policy initially resulted in the deactivation of five million accounts, Communications Minister Anika Wells acknowledged in a podcast that compliance efforts have tapered off. Data from the national online regulator, eSafety, indicates that 42 percent of children aged 10 to 15 still maintain social media accounts. Wells stated that the government expects to take legal action against Meta, ByteDance’s TikTok, Snapchat, and Google’s YouTube for alleged failures to comply with local laws. The minister described the enforcement process as complex, noting it differs significantly from simple on-the-spot penalties. The Australian suit follows a series of significant civil rulings and settlements involving Meta in the United States. In March, a Los Angeles jury awarded $6 million in damages to a 20-year-old plaintiff in a bellwether trial focused on social media addiction. Subsequently, in August, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay more than $900 million and implement extensive reforms, including rigorous age verification systems, usage time limits for minors, and enhanced protections against sextortion and child sexual exploitation. That same month, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a nationwide lawsuit alleging that its platforms were designed to be addictive and harmful to children. Some reports cite the settlement amount as $17.7 billion. On October 21, a separate federal judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay the state $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for deceiving users about privacy practices on Facebook. State District Court Judge Francis J. Mathew ruled that the deception was intentional and that executives consistently misled users regarding how the platform operated. This verdict marked the largest fine ever imposed against the tech giant. The legal costs impacted Meta’s financial performance, with the company reporting $9.86 billion in profits for the third quarter, a figure approximately 50 percent below investor expectations. Meta attributed the drop in profit to a $9.9 billion charge related to the U.S. settlement, despite beating revenue expectations as it continues to invest in artificial intelligence. Experts suggest the Australian case may differ legally from previous U.S. actions. Rob Nicholls, a senior researcher at the University of Sydney specializing in digital regulations, indicated that while U.S. lawsuits primarily focused on negligence, the Australian suit is likely to address both negligence and the consequences of supplying an unsafe product. The legal landscape is further complicated by newly proposed rules in Australia that would allow users to opt out of algorithm-driven content on their feeds. Parallel discussions in the United States focus on the psychological impacts of social media metrics. A recent settlement between Meta and U.S. states includes provisions aimed at protecting minors, such as banning cosmetic procedure filters for users under 18 and removing visible like counts and reaction metrics by default for this demographic. Psychologists argue that these changes target the phenomenon of social comparison, an ancient human tendency to assess oneself relative to others. Neuroimaging studies indicate that brains process social ranking similarly to financial gains or losses, with downward comparisons engaging reward circuits and upward comparisons triggering negative emotional responses. Although hiding metrics does not eliminate the instinct to compare, proponents argue it removes a primary tool for quantifying social approval, potentially mitigating associated anxiety and depression symptoms among vulnerable young users.