Meta “disappointed” in a federal lawsuit over depression in kids linked to Instagram

Attorneys general from 33 states – including California and New York – filed suit in federal court in Oakland; they are suing Meta and particularly the Instagram unit.

Reuters has the story: The states’ charges involve claims that Meta is fueling a mental health crisis among young people by making their social media platforms addictive.

Attorneys general said Meta repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms and knowingly lured young children and teens into addictive and compulsive use of social media.

“Meta leveraged powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract, engage, and ultimately entrap youth and adolescents,” according to the complaint filed in federal court in Oakland, California. “His motivation is profit.”

It’s not all about money

For years, there have been criticisms of questionable social media practices and how they affect children at a fragile and impressionable age.

But there’s more: The states that filed the complaint said research linked children’s use of Meta’s social media platforms to “depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with… ‘education and daily life, and many other negative outcomes’.

Meta said she was “disappointed” by the lawsuit: “Instead of working productively with industry companies to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps used by teens, the attorneys general have chosen this lane,” the company said.

“Meta failed to disclose that its algorithms were designed to capitalize on young users’ dopamine responses and create an addictive cycle of engagement,” the complaint states, recalling that last year Meta distanced itself from suicide of a 14 year old girl. UK, after being exposed to content about suicide and self-harm on Instagram.