Lawsuits accuse Facebook, Instagram of targeting children – MSU Denver RED

John Arnold October 25, 2023 Science and Technology Colorado is among dozens of states suing Meta, underscoring growing concern among mental-health experts that the platforms are addictive and harmful to kids. John Arnold October 25, 2023 More than three dozen states on Tuesday sued the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, alleging the social-media platforms are built to target children and make them dependent on their sites. Thirty-three state attorneys general, co-led by Colorado’s Phil Weiser, filed a federal lawsuit that claims addictive features, such as infinite scrolling, excessive alerts and algorithm design, “entice, engage and ultimately ensnare youth and teens.” Nine additional attorneys general filed similar lawsuits in their states, underscoring the growing concern that Meta’s sites and other social-media apps are harming young people’s mental health. “It has merit,” Randi Smith, Ph.D., a Psychology professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said of the federal lawsuit that seeks to end alleged harmful practices and to impose financial penalties. “There have been warnings for many years about the potential harms caused by social media, and there’s so much research to substantiate it,” she said, pointing to the advisory that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued this year warning of
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