Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is facing a legal challenge from 41 US states and D.C. over its alleged role in fueling social media addiction. The states, led by California and New York, claim that Meta has engaged in deceptive and unfair practices that harm the health and well-being of millions of users, especially children and teens.
The lawsuit accuses Meta of designing its platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to maximize user engagement and retention, regardless of the negative impacts on mental health, privacy, democracy and public safety. The states seek to force Meta to change its business practices, pay damages and penalties, and fund addiction prevention and treatment programs.
According to The Washington Post, the profusion of lawsuits is the culmination of an expansive investigation launched in 2021 into claims that Meta contributes to mental health issues among young people. The legal claims vary but they paint a picture of a company that has hooked children on its platforms using harmful and manipulative tactics.
A 233-page federal complaint alleges that the company engaged in a “scheme to exploit young users for profit” by misleading them about safety features and the prevalence of harmful content, harvesting their data and violating federal laws on children’s privacy. State officials claim that the company knowingly deployed changes to keep children on the site to the detriment of their well-being, violating consumer protection laws.
The lawsuits represent a rare bipartisan cooperation on a subject that is widely seen as alarming, regardless of political affiliation. “At a time when our nation is not seeing the level of bipartisan problem-solving collaboration that we need, you can see it here among this group of attorneys general,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D), who is co-leading the federal suit, said during a joint news conference Tuesday.
“Our bipartisan investigation has arrived at a solemn conclusion: Meta has been harming our children and teens, cultivating addiction to boost corporate profits,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D), one of the officials leading the effort, said in a statement.
Meta spokesperson Liza Crenshaw said in a statement that the company is “disappointed that 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.”
Civil penalties, changes in business practices and restitution are all be on the table as potential consequences, the attorneys general said.
The effect of Meta’s products on young people was thrust into the national spotlight after a 2021 Wall Street Journal report detailed internal research, leaked by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, showing that Instagram worsened body issues for some teen girls.
Unrelated to this spate of lawsuits, the Biden administration is also scrutinizing Meta’s record on children’s safety, with the Federal Trade Commission proposing a plan to bar the company from monetizing the data it collects from young users. Meta’s spokesman Andy Stone called it a “political stunt” and said the company would “vigorously fight” the move.
