Dozens of U. S. states, including Kansas, are suing Meta Platforms, Inc. – the owners of Facebook and Instagram — for harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The states claim Meta knowingly designed features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to the platforms. The lawsuit was filed by 33 states in Federal Court in California. It also claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law.
The federal suit is the result of an investigation led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from eight states. It follows critical newspaper reports, first by the Wall Street Journal in the fall of 2021, based on the Meta’s own research that found that the company knew about the harms Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues. One study says 13.5% of teen girls saying Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse and 17% of teen girls saying it makes eating disorders worse.
