State AGs file lawsuit claiming Meta purposely draws kids in

Meta lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Attorneys general in 42 different states filed lawsuits against Meta. 
• Why: The lawsuits claim Instagram targets kids and leads to mental health issues for young users.
• Where: Lawsuits were filed in federal court in California and Florida, along with filings in local courts in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

Meta faces lawsuits in 42 states claiming its Instagram app targets kids and harms the mental health of young users.

Attorneys general filed the Meta lawsuits in California and Florida federal courts, along with filings in local courts in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

The lawsuits allege Meta is aware of the harm its platform causes, including depression, anxiety, hyperactivity and lack of sleep, and does nothing to mitigate the issues, instead misleading users about those harms and their extent.

The lawsuits come after an investigation into Instagram and Meta that has not yet been made public. TikTok is also being investigated for similar concerns, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says.

“Meta has known for years that Instagram causes psychological harm to young users,” Skrmetti says. “Rather than take steps to reduce or disclose the harm, Meta leaned further into its profit-maximizing approach that hurts kids. Targeting kids with a harmful product and lying about its safety violates the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.”

Meta developed apps with harmful features, lawsuit claims

Meta developed a scheme using Instagram and Facebook to maximize young users’ time and attention on social media, the Meta lawsuit claims. It also alleges Meta designed and deployed the products with both harmful and psychologically manipulative product features to get kids to spend extended time on the platforms

Meta published reports with deceptively low numbers related to user harm, ignored extensive research and refused to abandon harmful features on the apps as part of its scheme, the Meta lawsuit adds.

Meta also downplayed the effects of its harmful features while attempting to conceal the full impact, according to the lawsuit.

In other news related to kids and social media, New York officials recently announced new legislation they say is intended to regulate “unhealthy social media usage” by prohibiting minors from being able to access certain addictive content without parental consent. 

Have you had issues with harmful features on Facebook or Instagram? Let us know in the comments.

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