Asia Tech Wire (Oct 29) -- A Brazilian consumer rights group has filed two lawsuits accusing the Brazilian units of TikTok, Kwai and Meta Platforms inc. of failing to put in place mechanisms to avoid minors abusing the social platforms.

The lawsuit, filed by advocacy group Collective Defense Institute, seeks 3 billion reais ($525 million) in damages from the companies.

The organization demanded that the companies establish clear data protection mechanisms, and issue warnings about the mental health risks for children and adolescents due to addiction to the platforms.

In response to the allegations, Meta said in a statement that it wants "young people to have safe and age-appropriate experiences on our apps, and we have been working on the issues for over a decade, developing more than 50 tools, resources, and features to support young people and their guardians."

"The company recently announced the launch of a new 'Teen Account' on Instagram, a feature that will soon go live in Brazil and will automatically limit the accounts teens can see and the people who can contact them," Meta said.

TikTok responded by saying that the company has not received any notification about the case.

Kwai, the international version of Chinese short-video app Kuaishou, said via a statement that user safety is one of the company's priorities, especially when minors are involved.