American states are suing Meta over the health effects of social media on youth

Dozens of US states have sued Meta for negatively influencing young users of social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Among other things, the platforms are said to be too addictive and negatively affect the self-image of teenagers.

According to the prosecutors, Meta’s platforms put young users at increased risk of, among other things, “depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia and bad influences at school and in daily life.” writes Reuters. A total of 33 states are involved in this particular lawsuit, which was filed in court in California. In addition, eight other states and Washington DC have filed similar charges. If the judge rules in favor of the states, Meta could be fined thousands of dollars per violation. The company’s social media is believed to have millions of young users.

The states base their findings, among other things, on statements by whistleblower Frances Haugen and investigations The Wall Street Journal. This would show that Meta is aware of the addictive effect of Instagram and the consequences for the self-image of mainly young girls. Furthermore, prosecutors say Meta tries to keep young people on its platforms as long as possible and violates laws by unlawfully collecting data from underage users. Meta itself says it is disappointed in the actions of the American states and claims to have taken various measures against the alleged defenses.

In the United States, children under the age of thirteen are not allowed to create accounts on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. Large tech companies are nevertheless regularly sued for their alleged negative effects on children. According to the BBC As far as we know, this is the largest lawsuit against Meta to date, in terms of its effects on users’ health.