OLYMPIA, Wash.-State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced he is joining a growing lawsuit against Meta for intentionally designing social media features that are addictive for young users.
According to an AP report by Barbara Ortutay on the lawsuit brought by a bipartisan list of attorneys general, with 42 states now taking action against Meta, the social media company’s own research knew of the harms social media can cause teenagers as far back as 2021.
“Meta is ignoring the risks that Facebook and Instagram posed to kids — and exploiting them for financial gain,” Attorney General Ferguson said.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California on October 24 is the result of a multi-state investigation that began in 2021 alleging that Meta intentionally put profits before the well-being of vulnerable users according to a press release on Washington joining the lawsuit from the AG’s Office.
Social media features, such as the “like” button, push notifications and the “infinite scroll” were intentionally designed to be addictive and keep kids on social media platforms according to today’s press release on the lawsuit.
According to the Pew Research Center 95 percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 in America report using a social media platform.
The multi-state lawsuit alleges Meta knowingly targeted youth through addictive features designed to hook them and increase profits. According to the lawsuit, Meta also knowingly collected data from users under age 13 without parental consent.
According to the AG’s Office, Meta’s unfair and deceptive practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
In response to the growing lawsuit Meta released a statement saying it shared “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.”
In compliance with federal regulations, social media companies do bar kids under the age of 13 from signing up on their platforms and TikTok recently implemented a 60-minute time limit on its platform for users under age 18.
