A coalition of 41 states USA and the District of Columbia sued Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) this Tuesday and argued that their social networks Instagram and Facebook are addictive and harmful for children.
This legal action is the most significant effort by state authorities to stop the impact of social networks on the mental health of minors and to force Meta to change the characteristics of its networks due to how dangerous it is, according to what they claim, for children. younger users.
A total of 33 states, including Colorado and California, filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in the Northern District of California, while other attorneys general in Washington DC and 8 states are filing separate complaints in federal, state or local courts.
The barrage of lawsuits is rooted in a 2021 investigation into the various ways the tech titan contributes to mental health problems among young people.
In 2021, The Wall Street Journal exposed in a report prepared with internal information how Instagram worsened the perception of users – especially girls and adolescents – about their bodies, and noted that the company was aware of this problem.
Since then, some states such as Arkansas and Utah have passed laws banning children under 13 from accessing social media and requiring teens under 18 to obtain parental consent to access the sites.
For its part, California passed laws requiring technology companies to examine their platforms for possible risks and problems.
Source: Gestion
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