USA: Lawsuit against Meta for endangering the mental health of young people

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Oakland, 33 states — including California and Illinois — allege that Meta repeatedly misled the public about how dangerous its platforms were and knowingly encouraged younger children and teenagers to compulsively use social media. addictive network.

"Research has shown that the use of Meta's social media platforms is associated with depression, anxiety, insomnia, disruptions in youth's education and daily life, as well as many other negative outcomes," the lawsuit states.

The motive is profit

"The target used unprecedentedly powerful technologies to attract and ultimately ensnare youth and teenagers." The motive is profit," according to the lawsuit, which seeks, among other things, significant civil penalties.

Meta, which also owns Facebook, announced that the company takes care of the safety of teenagers on the Internet.

"We are disappointed that state attorneys have decided to take this step instead of working productively with companies across the sector to establish clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps that teenagers use," Meta said in a statement.

The company found itself in the public eye after documents were released in 2021 that alleged Meta had data that Instagram was addictive and exacerbated mental health issues in some teenage girls related to their physical appearance.

The lawsuit claims that Meta wants to ensure that young people spend as much time as possible on social media despite knowing that teenagers have a need for acceptance through the "likes" of other users.

Meta misled the public when it denied that its platforms could be harmful to mental health, the lawsuit alleges.

Collection of data on children under 13 years of age

"Meta harms our children and teenagers and encourages addiction to increase profits," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

The lawsuit also states that Meta violated the law that prohibits the collection of data on children under the age of 13.

The state attorneys of New Hampshire and the capital, Washington, D.C., filed a similar lawsuit in local courts, and seven other states have decided to take similar action.

Hundreds of lawsuits have already been filed against Meta, which is based in Menlo Park, Calif., and other social networks on behalf of children and school districts, making similar claims.

ZS/RSE/VOA