Meta, the company that oversees Instagram and Facebook, faces allegations of misleading the public about the risks of using social media and contributing to a mental health crisis among youth.
Dozens of US states claimed in a federal lawsuit that Meta used addictive features to 鈥渆nsnare鈥� users while concealing the 鈥渟ubstantial dangers鈥� of its platforms, reports.
Meta Under Legal Fire
听
The lawsuit accused Meta of breaking consumer protection laws by engaging in 鈥渄eceptive鈥� conduct.
Meta said it was 鈥渄isappointed鈥�.
The lawsuit proceeded to say that Meta collected data on children under the age of 13, flouting its obligations under the Children鈥檚 Online Privacy Protection Act.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of 33 attorneys general who signed the lawsuit, said: 鈥淪ocial media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable鈥�.
Another nine states also made similar claims in lawsuits of their own.
More from Tech
- Engineered For Trust: What Is The Hacoo App Doing To Fight Fake Perfection?
- Where Have All The Junior Tech Jobs Gone?
- Hello, Savings: The Business Case For Switching To VoIP
- What Industries Are Most Likely To Benefit First From Quantum Computing?
- Britain Leads Europe In DeepTech Funding 鈥� So Why Do Its Best Companies Keep Leaving?
- The Free Media Player That Said No To Millions: How VLC Survived Nearly 30 Years Without Ads
- RiseGuide Launches Speech Analyzer: In-App Tool That Turns Solo Speech Practice Into Structured, Personalised Feedback
- The US Built A Free Speech Tool For Oppressed Nations 鈥� So Why Are Brits Using It Most?
Reactions to the Lawsuit
听
Opposing the accusations, a spokesperson for Meta said the company shared the commitment of the attorneys general to 鈥減roviding teens with safe, positive experiences online鈥� and had 鈥渁lready introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families鈥�.
鈥淲e鈥檙e 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,鈥� the spokesperson added.
Though Meta, as well as several other social media companies, already face hundreds of lawsuits in the US filed by families, young people and school districts over the impact on mental health, this latest lawsuit marks the biggest action to date.
It follows an investigation into Meta鈥檚 practices in 2021 by several state prosecutors after Frances Haugen testified in the US that the company knew its products could harm children.
Nonetheless, Meta continues to contest that its platform is damaging to young people鈥檚 mental health.
Pratiti Raychoudhury, vice president and head of research at Meta said, 鈥淚t is simply not accurate that this research demonstrates Instagram is 鈥渢oxic鈥� for teen girls鈥�, at the time of Ms Haugen鈥檚 accusation.
鈥淭he research actually demonstrated that many teens we heard from feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced鈥�, Ms Raychoudhury said.
Understanding Social Media and Mental Health
听
While plenty of lawsuits and accusations have been made against Meta, there are studies that do indeed suggest that Facebook鈥檚 growth is not linked to psychological harm.
Nonetheless, such research does little to quell the concerns over the connection between social media and mental health, particularly among young people.
Abundant research indicates that extended periods spent on social media can significantly harm the mental well-being of young individuals.
In the UK, a coroner investigating the tragic passing of Molly Russell attributed her demise to the 鈥榓dverse effects of online content.鈥�
Following this latest legal action, the states aim to secure financial compensation and an end to what they perceive as harmful practices by Meta.
While substantial portions of the lawsuit remain confidential, it explicitly identifies features such as likes, alerts, and filters, alleging that they are 鈥渒nown to promote young users鈥� body dysmorphia鈥�. Body dysmorphia causes individuals to excessively fixate on perceived flaws in their appearance, which are often imperceptible to others.
鈥淢eta鈥檚 design choices and practices take advantage of and contribute to young users鈥� susceptibility to addiction,鈥� the lawsuit said.
听
