42 US States Sue Meta For Causing Addiction In Children

42 US states sued Meta Platforms. The charge is that Instagram, in particular, is harming the mental health of young people by creating addiction.

The lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg’s group was filed on October 24 in the federal court of Oakland, California, and will affect a total of 33 states. Criticism also included the fact that the public was repeatedly misled about the significant dangers of the group’s social platforms, which also includes Facebook, and deliberately encouraged children and teenagers to use social media compulsively.

The complaint, as reported by Reuters, states that “research has shown that the use of Meta Platforms by young people is associated with depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with school and daily life, and many other negative consequences.” The negative impact on children includes, among other things, constant comparison with others and compulsive use fueled by likes and endless scrolling.

Meta is also accused of violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data, even from users under the age of 13, without parental consent. “Meta used powerful and unprecedented technology to attract, entice, and ultimately entrap young people and teenagers, with profit as the final goal,” the complaint further states.

Zuckerberg’s team, on its part, explained that it had gone out of its way to ensure safe use for young people, saying it was disappointed that “instead of working productively with companies in the sector to create clear and appropriate age standards… the attorneys general chose this path.”