Facebook, Instagram Accused of Harming Youth Mental Health in Massive New Lawsuit

Thirty-three states said Meta’s platforms have “profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans” Thirty-three states have banded together to sue Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, accusing it of building and operating platforms that have caused serious harm to young people and adolescents.  The lawsuit, filed Oct. 24 in district court in Northern California, claims Meta’s platforms have “profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans,” harnessing “powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teams.”  Arguing the company’s primary “motive is profit” and “maximiz[ing] financial gains,” the suit goes on to say Meta “repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers” of its various social media platforms, especially when it comes to “its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”  In a statement, a Meta spokesperson said, “We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced more than 30 tools to support teens and their families. 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.”
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