Brazil institute sues social media giants for $525 million o...

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Collective Defense Institute has filed two lawsuits demanding 3 billion reais ($525.27 million) from the Brazilian units of TikTok, Kwai and Meta Platforms for allegedly failing to create mechanisms to prevent indiscriminate use of these social media platforms by minors, according to initial petitions seen by Reuters. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Social media regulation has become a hot topic in Latin America's largest country after a months-long feud between X owner Elon Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court justice resulted in the company paying hefty fines. DETAILS In the lawsuits, the organization demands the courts, both in the state of Minas Gerais, to order the companies to create clear data protection mechanisms and issue warnings about the risks to children's and teenagers' mental health due to platform addiction. The lawsuits are based on a series of studi...