Most of the stars that stand out on the American flag declare war on Mark Zuckerberg. In fact, 41 American states have filed a giant lawsuit against Meta, the company that includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The accusation is about the risks of social networks especially for young people through “dangerous and manipulative tactics” that have the sole objective of “increasing profits”.
The coalition of 41 US states and the District of Columbia sued Meta and argued that its social networks Instagram and Facebook are addictive and harm children. This legal action is the most significant effort by state authorities to reduce the impact of social networks on the mental health of minors and to force Meta to change the characteristics of its networks due to their danger to younger users. At least 33 states, including Colorado and California, have filed a joint lawsuit in federal court for the Northern District of California, while other attorneys general in Washington D.C. and eight states are filing separate complaints in federal, state or local courts.
The related action is inspired by an internal report released in 2021 in which several techniques were explained to keep users glued to their smartphones as much as possible. The plaintiffs’ complaint today is that Meta “designed psychologically manipulative product features to induce young users into compulsive and prolonged use” of platforms like Instagram. “Meta leveraged powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract, engage, and ultimately arrest youth and teens,” the documents say. Meta rejected the accusations, stressing that it works to make its platforms increasingly obscure places for young people and teenagers.
The lawsuit is led by Colorado and California, with other states following suit, while eight other states have filed separate lawsuits. In total, as mentioned, we are in 41 matters against Meta. It is, therefore, a kind of collective action brought not by individual consumers, but by federal states, many of which are working to tighten the rules on children’s use of social networks.
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
