Numerous U.S. states have initiated legal proceedings against “Meta Platforms” and its subsidiary, Instagram, alleging that the company is responsible for a crisis among the youth, impacting their mental and psychological well-being by compelling them into social media addiction.
Throughout this year, criticisms directed at social media corporations, particularly “Meta” (the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), have been relentless, particularly concerning their adverse effects on children and teenagers. In response, the company has made adjustments and clarified in a statement that adolescents may lack the maturity of adults in deciding how their data should be used for advertising.
In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, prosecutors in 33 states, including California and New York, asserted that Meta, also the operator of Facebook, habitually deceived the public about the risks associated with its platforms. They claimed that the company deliberately led young individuals towards compulsive and addictive use of social media.
According to the complaint filed in a federal court in Oakland, California, “Meta employed powerful, unprecedented technologies to attract, engage, and ultimately entangle the youth. Its driving force is profit.” Meta has previously faced accusations, such as overlooking human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
For a long time, children have been an appealing demographic for companies seeking to attract them as consumers during crucial developmental years. Meta relies on younger consumers to attract more advertisers, hoping that they will continue purchasing products as they mature.
However, the states involved in the lawsuits argue that research has demonstrated a connection between children’s use of Meta’s social media platforms and negative outcomes such as “depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education, daily life, and more.”
Meta expressed its “disappointment” with the legal action, stating, “Instead of collaborating constructively with companies in the sector to establish clear, age-appropriate standards for many applications used by teenagers, the attorneys general have opted for this course.”
On Tuesday, eight additional U.S. states and Washington, D.C., filed similar lawsuits against Meta, bringing the total number of entities taking legal action against the California-based company to 42. Meta’s stocks also experienced a 0.6% decline on the Nasdaq index.
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