The group Meta has been sued by more than 40 US states on the grounds that it is doing everything it can to attract young people to Instagram and Facebook and make them addicted to these social networks. The complaint compared Meta’s strategies to those used in the past by the tobacco industry and more recently by e-cigarette manufacturers.

The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Meta misled the public in an attempt to attract young people to these platforms, which ultimately affected their mental health.

The group has been accused of exploiting the weaknesses of young people, who are highly vulnerable consumers, while ignoring the impact these networks can have on teenagers’ mental health. Met is accused of ignoring potential dangers, putting profits first.

The action is unprecedented in the number of American states that have come together and synchronized. Time is of the essence, and the coordination of the large number of states suing the Met is essential because their power is also greater.

The complaint states that Meta “developed psychologically manipulative features to encourage the compulsive and widespread use of platforms such as Instagram by young users.” It is also noted that the company’s algorithms are designed to use many warnings and notifications in applications.

“We are disappointed that instead of working productively with companies in the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps used by teens, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” the Meta group said.

A few years ago, several American states began to investigate the negative impact of young people’s use of social networks on mental health. The decisive moment was 2021, when Facebook announced that it wanted to launch a children’s version of Instagram, open to children under the age of 13. The move sparked outrage among lawmakers and child advocacy groups.

Sources: AFP; New York Times

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