Facebook parent company Meta has responded to a coordinated series of lawsuits (list of states and the complaint below) which include one filed in Federal court on behalf of 33 states and state Attorneys General, and 9 other related suits each filed in individual states in state court.
The states that have signed on to the Federal law suit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
In addition to the Federal suit, eight states, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont, and the District of Columbia, have brought coordinated independent lawsuits.
At the heart of the lawsuits are alleged two issues, the first being that Meta (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) knowingly and so therefore intentionally has created an addictive environment from which teenagers can’t pull themselves away, specifically using technologies which Meta knows to be addictive for these young people. The second allegation is that Meta has been collecting the data of children under the age of 13, which is a violation of Federal law.
We are now seeing a generation that hasn’t known life without Meta’s products.
Explains the Complaint (embedded below), “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms. It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us out of our pocket to keep the site going (going on 20 years now!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are VERY appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
New York State Attorney General Letitia James said, in a statement, that “Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like Meta are to blame. Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem. Social media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable.”
Meanwhile, speaking of the separate but coordinated lawsuit filed by the state of Utah, Utah Governor Spencer Cox explained that “Just as litigation effectively spurred change by the opioid pharmaceutical industry and Big Tobacco, we expect this lawsuit will inspire Meta to improve its child safety practices. Regulating social media companies to protect minors is not a partisan issue, and most people across the political spectrum agree we cannot allow addictive algorithms and deceptive practices to continue harming our children. This action shows we will continue to fight for the mental health and well-being of our kids.”
Utah’s Attorney General, Sean Reyes, added that “Every burgeoning industry has a moment where they have to recognize the power they possess. We are now seeing a generation that hasn’t known life without Meta’s products. With that growth comes a responsibility to protect our values and communities, particularly our kids. This lawsuit is a first step toward putting guardrails around a company that is in our homes, our schools, and our neighborhoods. I invite Meta to the table to right past wrongs and to take meaningful steps forward.”
Meta’s response boils down to this statement which they have released: “We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families. We’re disappointed that 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.”
Here’s the lawsuit:
Meta lawsuit 33 states 2023
The Internet Patrol is completely free, and we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us out of our pocket to keep the site going (going on 20 years now!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated!
Receipts will come from ISIPP.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
