LONDON: Meta Platforms (META.O) and its Instagram unit are facing a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the attorneys general of 33 American states, which have accused the company of contributing to exacerbating a youth mental health crisis.
The 33 states, including California and New York, claim Meta, which also operates WhatsApp, Facebook, and Threads, has been improving its profits through making its social media platforms addictive for children and teenagers, Reuters reported.
“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit,” the lawsuit said.
It also cited research that associated children’s use of social media platforms with “depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and many other negative outcomes.”
Meta has also been accused of collecting data on children under the age of 13 without obtaining parental consent, an act, if proved, would constitute a direct violation of federal law.
Mark Zuckerberg’s company said it was “disappointed” in the lawsuit.
It added: “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.”
Other social media platforms have also faced legal action for alleged impact on teenagers and children. Hundreds of lawsuits were filed against ByteDance’s TikTok and Google’s YouTube over claims they were addictive to minors.
