United States – Social network giant Meta has become the focus of justice. On October 24, 40 states in the United States filed a lawsuit against Meta, accusing its Facebook and Instagram apps of harming “the physical and mental health of young people.” “Meta leverages powerful and unprecedented technology to attract (…) and ultimately trap young people and teenagers for profit,” the attorney general said in a complaint filed in California court.
States, Democrats and Republicans claimed that California organizations “covered up the ways in which these platforms exploited and manipulated their most vulnerable consumers” and “ignored the enormous damage done to mental health.”
The legal action is the culmination of more than two years of investigation into the practices of the two platforms, which authorities deemed “addictive”.
When contacted by AFP, Mehta said he was “disappointed that the Attorney General has chosen this path rather than working productively with companies in the industry to develop clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps used by teenagers” .
A spokesman for the organization said: “We share the Attorney General’s commitment to providing young people with a safe and positive online experience, and we have launched more than 30 tools to support young people and their families.”
States moved into action in the fall of 2021 after former Facebook employees raised alarm about their former company’s practices.
Engineer Frances Haugen leaked more than 20,000 pages of internal documents, insisting in front of various parliaments that the social media giant put profits before user safety.
According to Tuesday’s complaint, features on Facebook and Instagram are designed to “manipulate young users into compulsively using these platforms for prolonged periods of time.”
Prosecutors further accused Meta of lying to the public (by ensuring its products were safe and suitable for teenagers) and “publishing misleading reports.”
While Congress has been unable for years to agree on laws to better regulate information technology giants on abuse of dominance and consumer protections, children’s issues tend to unite elected representatives from both major parties.
“With today’s legal action, we draw a line that must not be crossed,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “We must protect our children, and we will not “Backing down from a fight.” Tuesday’s complaint also accuses Meta of violating the Children’s Privacy Act.
Several states asked courts to force Meta to stop its practices and to pay fines. Other cases are underway against big tech companies, brought jointly by several countries, particularly on monopoly issues.

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