Oct 24 (Reuters) – Dozens of U.S. states are suing Meta Platforms and its subsidiary Instagram, accusing them of harming the mental health of young people due to the addictive nature of their social networks.
In a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, 33 states, including California and Illinois, claim that the Meta group, which includes Facebook, repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms and knowingly induces young children and adolescents to use them in an addictive and compulsive manner.
“Meta has exploited powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract, engage and ultimately entrap young people and adolescents,” “Its motivation is profit,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit seeks relief, including significant civil penalties.
The lawsuit against Meta is the latest in a series of lawsuits against social media companies and their effects on children and adolescents. TikTok and YouTube are also facing hundreds of lawsuits for the same reasons.
Meta said she had sought to keep young people safe online.
“We are disappointed that instead of working productively with industry companies to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps used by teens, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” Meta said in a press release.
Much of the attention on Meta stems from the publication in 2021 of documents showing that the company had data indicating that Instagram creates addiction issues among young people and impacts self-image and self-esteem. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Diane Bartz, David Shepardson and Nate Raymond; French version Nathan Vifflin, editing by Kate Entringer)
2023-10-24 17:13:08
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