Mississippi has joined 41 states in filing lawsuits against Meta, alleging that the multi-platform social media company has implemented harmful features that purposefully addict children and teens.
A complaint filed by Attorney General Lynn Fitch accuses Meta of being aware of the dangers some features pose to young users’ mental and physical well-being while falsely assuring the public that the components were safe.
The coalition states that Meta’s practices continue to harm younger generations and have fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General has deemed a “youth mental health crisis.”
“The mental health epidemic facing our youth is alarming, but not puzzling,” Fitch said. “Meta has been conducting a social experiment on our children’s developing brains, knowing they were causing damage, and refusing to make changes to mitigate that damage.”
Fitch’s complaint alleges that Meta designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive, purposefully targeted children and teens, and took advantage of their biologically limited capacity for self-control.
The suit also accuses Meta of knowing about the wide range of harms compulsive use causes, including:
- Increased levels of depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorders
- Altered psychological and neurological development
- Reduced sleep
- Increased exposure to bullying, unwanted advances, and other difficult and age-inappropriate circumstances
“While we may not know the impact of this experiment for decades, we know now that our children are suffering higher levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm,” Fitch explained. “You cannot reap profits off America’s children without being held accountable.”
Seven other states filing parallel complaints in state courts across the country today made similar allegations.
In addition to these state complaints, 33 Attorneys General filed a federal complaint alleging that Meta knew of the harmful impact of its platforms on young people.
The coalition stated that while most of the complaints rely on confidential material that is not yet available to the public, sources including those previously released by former Meta employees say that the platforms’ algorithms push users into descending “rabbit holes” in an effort to maximize engagement.
The attorneys general allege that the company’s choices violate state consumer protection laws and/or COPPA (the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act).
States joining the multistate federal lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Florida’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
In addition to Fitch, attorneys general filing lawsuits in their own state courts are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.
