There has been a body of growing psychological evidence about the harms of social media, especially excess use. This relates to numerous issues, from pornography, to cyber-bullying. And it may come to a head now with 41 US states and D. C., suing Meta. The claim is that there have been addictive features deliberately built into Instagram and Facebook. The complaint alleges that "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."
Both Republicans and Democrats have joined forces in this case, so it is quite a force. The case will at a minimum expose the strategies which Meta has used, and almost certainly other social media as well. Social media has become the drug of the younger generation, a drug which may prove to be more dangerous than the drugs of choice of past generations, which is saying something.
"Forty-one states and D.C. are suing Meta, alleging that the tech giant harms children by building addictive features into Instagram and Facebook — legal actions that represent the most significant effort by state enforcers to tackle the impact of social media on children's mental health.
The barrage of lawsuits is the culmination of a sprawling 2021 investigation into claims that Meta contributes to mental health issues among young people. While the scope of the legal claims vary, 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 allegations mark a rare bipartisan agreement and underscore the groundswell of concern among government leaders that social networks harm younger users by optimizing for engagement over safety.
"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.
Thirty-three states including Colorado and California are filing a joint lawsuit in federal court in the Northern District of California, while attorneys general for D.C. and eight states are filing separate complaints in federal, state or local courts.
"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."
Weiser said state officials had not discussed whether the cases will be consolidated in court, as in recent lawsuits by school districts and parents, but said the suits will probably be "managed in tandem." The attorneys general expressed optimism that the multipronged action, whether through settlement or regulatory pressure, could force the company to change its conduct around children.
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."