Over 40 US states accused Facebook and Instagram owner Meta on Tuesday of profiteering “from children’s pain,” causing mental health problems, and misrepresenting people about the safety of their platforms.
“In seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” argued a joint lawsuit filed in federal court in California.
More than 40 states are suing Meta, though some have chosen to suit in state courts rather than join the federal case.
According to the lawsuit petition, Meta has exploited teenage users by developing a revenue strategy that maximizes the time they spend on the site despite the detriment to their health.
“Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health, and social media companies like Meta are to blame,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement announcing the suit.
“Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem.”
Meta is accused in the claim of deceptive and illegal behaviour that harmed vulnerable youth for financial benefit.
According to James, the petition asks the federal court to order Meta to stop using manipulative tactics and to pay heavy financial penalties as well as reparations.
“Social media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis, and they must be held accountable,” James said.
The litigation “disappointed” the technology conglomerate , and the states were not collaborating with a variety of social media businesses to set age-appropriate standards.
The technology conglomerate stated that it has created more than 30 capabilities in its apps to assist adolescent users and has made it easier for parents to “shape” internet activity.
Given the popularity of rivals such as TikTok, YouTube, and Snap, the Silicon Valley tech business believes it is regrettable that solicitors general have singled out Meta rather than seeking industry-wide solutions.
The technology conglomerate stated that social media may also be a place where young people who are dealing with other challenges in their lives can receive community assistance.
According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the legal complaints are the outcome of a statewide probe announced in November 2021.
“Our bipartisan investigation has arrived at a solemn conclusion: Meta has been harming our children and teens, cultivating addiction to boost corporate profits,” Bonta said in a release.
“With today’s lawsuit, we are drawing the line.”
The probe began when Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed over 20,000 pages of internal papers to the media, sparking criticism that the social media company had prioritized profit before user safety.
She insisted to American and European politicians in 2021 that Facebook had failed to reduce poisonous information and that the business could not be trusted to change its methods.
Later that year, Facebook changed its name to Meta, which opponents felt was done to separate the firm from its social networking difficulties.
At the time, the firm’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company, saying that “the argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical.”
