Meta and Instagram sued over depression, anxiety, insomnia linked to kids

Numerous US states are taking legal action against Meta Platforms and its subsidiary, Instagram, alleging that these social media giants are responsible for exacerbating a youth mental health crisis by fostering addiction on their platforms. In a complaint lodged on Tuesday, attorneys general from 33 states, including California and New York, asserted that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, systematically deceived the public regarding the risks associated with its platforms. They further claim that Meta knowingly lured young children and teenagers into compulsive and addictive social media use.

According to the complaint, filed in the federal court in Oakland, California, Meta has harnessed advanced technologies to captivate and ensnare youth and teens, primarily driven by profit motives. Historically, businesses have found children to be an attractive demographic, aiming to gain them as lifelong consumers due to their impressionable nature and potential for brand loyalty.

For Meta, younger consumers could also attract more advertisers who hope to maintain product purchases as children mature. However, the states contend that research has linked children's use of Meta's social media platforms to adverse outcomes, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, educational interference, and disruptions in daily life.

Meta expressed disappointment with the lawsuit and criticised the attorney general for not collaborating with the industry to establish clear, age-appropriate standards for teen app usage. "Instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path," the company said.

Eight additional US states and Washington, D.C. are launching similar legal actions against Meta, bringing the total count of authorities taking action against the California-based company to 42.

In these cases, Meta could face civil penalties ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 for each violation of various state laws, which could accumulate rapidly given the millions of young users of Instagram. Much of the scrutiny on Meta arose from a whistleblower's release of documents in 2021, which revealed the company's knowledge of Instagram's addictive qualities and its negative impact on the body image of some teenage girls.

"At the heart of these accusations is this idea that we prioritise profit over safety and well-being. That's just not true," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted back in October 2021 on his Facebook page.

The lawsuit by the 33 states alleges that Meta actively sought to ensure that young individuals spent as much time as possible on social media, despite knowing that they craved approval in the form of "likes" from other users regarding their content. California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that Meta had harmed children and teenagers while cultivating addiction to boost corporate profits.

Furthermore, the states accused Meta of violating a law prohibiting the collection of data from children under 13 years old and of deceptively denying the harm caused by its social media platforms. According to the complaint, Meta's refusal to acknowledge responsibility extended to distancing itself from the suicide of a 14-year-old girl in the UK, who had been exposed to harmful content related to suicide and self-injury on Instagram.

The states also alleged that Meta aims to expand its harmful practices into virtual reality, including its Horizon Worlds platform, WhatsApp, and Messenger apps. These legal actions are an attempt to address the gaps left by the US Congress's inability to pass new online protections for children, despite years of discussions.

Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser highlighted that the whistleblower's revelations demonstrate Meta's awareness of how Facebook and Instagram are causing harm to children and that the decisions made by social media platforms are contributing to mental and physical health issues that must not be ignored. "It is very clear that decisions made by social media platforms, like Meta, are part of what is driving mental health harms, physical health harms, and threats that we can't ignore," he said.