Thirty-three states sued Meta on Tuesday over allegations that Facebook’s parent company sought to maximize profits by exposing children to potentially harmful social media features and practices.
The states accused Meta of using its Facebook and Instagram platforms to manipulate children’s attention and misled the public about the dangers of the tech in a scheme violating state and federal law.
“Meta designed and deployed harmful and psychologically manipulative product features to induce young users’ compulsive and extended platform use, while falsely assuring the public that its features were safe and suitable for young users,” the lawsuit said.
The states alleged that Meta‘s Facebook and Instagram are violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The states said Meta must obtain verifiable parental consent for children younger than 13 years old under the law but the company is aware of children using Instagram without such consent and similarly has knowledge of young Facebook users too.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said his company shares the states’ commitment to keeping teenagers safe online and has introduced 30 tools to support children and families on the Big Tech company’s platforms.
“We’re 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,” Mr. Stone said in a statement.
The states bringing the lawsuit include a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general representing California, New York, Illinois, Louisiana and Virginia, among dozens of others.
While Facebook and Instagram are squarely in the lawsuit’s crosshairs amid widespread concerns about social media danger, the states are worried about Meta‘s other products as well. The lawsuit asserts that Meta looks to be expanding the alleged objectionable business practices from social media platforms into its virtual reality and communications products, including WhatsApp.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.