Nebraska is joining a 41 state coalition of attorneys general in suing the tech-conglomerate Meta (formerly Facebook) for the detrimental effects its social media platforms have on youth mental health.
Announced today by Nebraska Attorney General (AG) Mike Hilgers, Meta will face a suit in federal and state courts around the country. The complaints allege that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. At the same time, Meta falsely assured the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users.
The union of AG’s make the assertion that Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). They say these practices harm the physical and mental health of children/teens and have fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” which has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people.
“Meta deceived parents and manipulated teens into using platforms it knew was harming them,” said General Hilgers, “Our office is committed to fighting deception and illegal business practices in all forms, especially when they’re hurting our kids.”
The federal complaint, joined by 33 states and filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, also alleges that Meta knew of the harmful impact of its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, on young people. Instead of taking steps to mitigate these harms, it misled the public about the harms associated with use of its platform, concealing the extent of the psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to use of its platforms.
The complaint further alleges that Meta knew that young users, including those under 13, were active on the platforms, and knowingly collected data from these users without parental consent. It targeted these young users noting, as reported in a 2021 Wall Street Journal article, that such a user base was “valuable, but untapped.” Meta allegedly used algorithms push users into descending “rabbit holes” in an effort to maximize engagement. Features like infinite scroll and near-constant alerts were created with the express goal of hooking young users. These manipulative tactics continually lure children and teens back onto the platform.
The federal complaint seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the harms caused by these platforms.