Why are California and 30 other states suing Meta?
Dozens of states are taking Meta to court for allegedly designing platforms with manipulative and addictive features that harm children’s mental health.
Dozens of states are suing Meta and its platform Instagram for allegedly harming the mental health of children by creating addictive features on their apps.
A federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the attorneys general of 33 states including California and New York accuses Meta of misleading the public about the dangers that their platforms pose. They also allege that Meta, which also runs Facebook, knowingly encouraged children into compulsive use of social media.
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States accuse Meta of fueling mental health problems among children
According to the complaint, “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit.”
The states said that according to research, the use of Meta’s social media platforms has been linked with depression, anxiety, and other negative effects.
The lawsuit is the most recent effort by states to hold giant tech platforms accountable for charges that their social media platforms are causing a rise in depression among the young and fueling the ideation of suicide.
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Meta ‘disappointed’ with states’ lawsuits
Meta expressed disappointment with the complaint, which was filed in the Oakland, California federal court.
“Instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” said the company.
Eight other states as well as Washington D.C. are filing similar complaints on behalf of children and teenagers against the tech giant.
Meta could be fined $1,000 to $50,000 per violation of state laws. This figure could balloon considering the number of children who use Instagram, which amounts to millions.
Aside from charges that the company’s social media applications are harmful to the young, Meta also faces accusations of violating laws that prohibit the collection of data of children below the age of 13.