Meta Platforms Sued by States Over Alleged Harm to Children

WASHINGTON — Meta Platforms Inc. was sued Tuesday in federal court by states saying the company’s Facebook and Instagram social media use features that are addictive to children and threaten their mental health.

Facebook and Instagram include interactive features that allow consumers to share postings from the sites, tag them as “likes” or add comments to them.

Meta Platforms’ market research that led to the interactive features sometimes gathered data on children under 13 years old without their parents’ consent, according to the lawsuit. If true, the allegation could be a violation of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. 

The lawsuit was filed in California by attorneys general from 41 states and the District of Columbia.

The injunction — or court order — the lawsuit seeks could result in permanent removal of some interactive features on Facebook, Instagram and other social media.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens,” the lawsuit says. “Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms.”

Social media use algorithms to target audiences and then deliver content that appeals to them based on their previous use of the online services. For teenagers, the algorithms typically send them stories, images and videos tailored to their interests.

The attorneys general lawsuit says Meta Platforms, “has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”

The lawsuit refers to behavioral health studies that show children are particularly susceptible to slipping into depression with frequent use of social media.

Nancy DeAngelis, director of behavioral health at Jefferson Health in Abington, Pennsylvania, wrote for her health company’s website, “Social media platforms drive surges of dopamine to the brain to keep consumers coming back over and over again. The shares, likes and comments on these platforms trigger the brain’s reward center, resulting in a high similar to the one people feel when gambling or using drugs.”

Meta Platforms chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has denied any effort to exploit children or other social media users.

The company issued a statement Tuesday saying it shares “the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families.”

Facebook and other social media companies ban children less than 13 years old from signing up to their platforms. The ban has been largely unenforceable while children sign up to social media accounts, regardless of whether their parents consent.

Competing social media company TikTok uses a one-hour time limit for users under 18 years old. It can easily be circumvented by re-entering a passcode and continuing to watch TikTok videos.

The Meta Platforms statement added, “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.”

A U.S. surgeon general’s advisory this year says social media can help teens and children form friendships and provide an outlet for self-expression. It also is linked to a steady increase in anxiety, depression and “a decrease in life satisfaction,” the advisory says.

“Up to 95% of youth ages 13-17 report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use social media ‘almost constantly,’” the advisory says. “Although age 13 is commonly the required minimum age used by social media platforms in the U.S.,  nearly 40% of children ages 8-12 use social media.”

One of the attorneys general joining in the lawsuits and criticisms against Meta Platforms is Brian L. Schwalb from the District of Columbia.

“Despite knowing that its products can cause children significant and long-term psychological harms, Meta has downplayed the risks its products pose and has repeatedly and deceptively claimed its products are safe for young users,” Schwalb said in a statement.

Meta Platforms’ protests of innocence appear to be contradicted by a fall 2021 Wall Street Journal report.

It said Meta Platforms whistleblowers revealed the company’s own research showed its top executives knew about mental health risks to teenagers from Instagram. Teenage girls worried about body image were most deeply affected.

One internal study said 13.5% of teenaged girls reported Instagram deepened their thoughts of suicide. Seventeen percent of teen girls said Instagram worsened their eating disorders.

You can reach us at [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Twitter