In an unprecedented move, 41 US states have sued Metathe parent company of popular social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp e Messenger, saying that Instagram in particular “Instagram traps children and teenagers to create addiction“. This “class action”, led by Colorado and California, accuses Meta of attracting children and adolescents to her platforms, without protecting them. Meta, in an official statement that you gave us, recalls the over 30 tools implemented to protect minors and says you are disappointed with the approach of the attorneys general.
Meta, 41 American states sue: “it creates addiction in adolescents”
The accusations against Meta are serious. As Il Corriere della Sera reports, the States maintain that the company has violated consumer protection laws, leveraging “powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract, engage and ultimately trap young people and adolescents“, especially Instagram and Facebook.
According to the prosecution, Meta deliberately planned “psychologically manipulative features” to induce young users to use in a “compulsive” these platforms. Features such as “infinite scroll” and persistent alerts were cited as tools to attract young users. The lawsuits also allege that Meta violated a federal law regarding children’s online privacy, collecting personal data of young users without parental consent.
In response to the allegations, a Meta spokesperson told us at Tech Princess: “We share the Attorneys General’s commitment to providing teens with safe and positive experiences online, which is why we have already introduced over 30 tools to support adolescents and their families. We are disappointed that the attorneys general have chosen this path instead of working productively with industry companies to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps used by teenagers.”
This class action lawsuit is just the latest development in a growing trend regulatory ferment around social media and their influence on the young generation. Bipartisan groups of attorneys general in more than 40 states have launched investigations into Instagram’s potentially harmful effects on young people.
States are looking fines against Meta and an injunction to limit certain functions technologies that they believe are harmful to young users. At the moment we do not know how Meta will respond at a judicial level. We will keep you informed.
Source
Corriere della Sera