Against the backdrop of its impact on the mental and psychological health of children, dozens of American states filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms and its Instagram unit. For its part, Meta expressed its “disappointment” with the lawsuit and said, “Instead of working productively with companies across the sector to create clear, age-appropriate standards for many of the applications used by teenagers, public prosecutors chose this path.”
Published on: 10/25/2023 – 08:21
2 minutes
Dozens of US states have filed lawsuits against Meta Platforms Inc Its Instagram unit is accused of causing a crisis for young people by affecting their mental and psychological health by pushing them to become addicted to social media platforms.
In a complaint filed Tuesday, prosecutors in 33 states, including California and New York, said Meta, which also runs Facebook, repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms, and intentionally pushed young children and teens into compulsive, addictive use of social media.
“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented techniques to lure, engage, and ultimately trap youth and adolescents. Its motive is profit,” the complaint filed in federal court in Oakland, California, included.
Children have long been an attractive demographic for companies hoping to attract them as consumers at ages when they may be most impressionable.
For Meta, younger consumers are vitally helpful in attracting more advertisers who hope children will continue to buy their products as they grow older.
But the states that filed lawsuits said research showed a link between children’s use of Meta’s social media platforms and their feelings of “depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and many other negative outcomes.”
Meta expressed her “disappointment” over the lawsuit. “Instead of working productively with companies across the sector to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps used by teens, prosecutors have chosen this path,” the company said.
Eight other US states and Washington, D.C., filed similar lawsuits against Meta on Tuesday, bringing the total number of parties that have taken action against the company, which is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, to 42.
Meta shares fell 0.6 percent on the Nasdaq index.
France 24/AFP
2023-10-25 06:21:52
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