The main social networks received one of the largest lawsuits against them to date. The company Meta, provider of Facebook and Instagram, was accused of lying about the risks involved in using social networks. Which leads to a crisis in the mental health of young people and adolescents.
The most important social networks were sued
33 prosecutors filed a federal lawsuit in October 2023 in California City. In turn, eight of these prosecutors repeated the action in state courts. Additionally, the state of Florida independently filed its own lawsuit over the same issue.
The social media company is accused of using addictive features to attract users, while, on the other hand, it hid the dangers that come with using its platforms. In addition, they also accuse Meta of ignoring consumer protection laws through “deceptive” conduct and of collecting data from children under 13 years of age, violating the Children’s Online Privacy Act.
New York Attorney Letitia James is one of 33 attorneys general who filed the lawsuit. She stated that “social media companies like Meta, contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and will be held accountable.”
The response of the accused company was not delayed
As expected, Meta responded to the lawsuit arguing that it shares the attorneys general’s commitment to “offer young people safe and positive experiences online, introducing more than 30 support tools for them and their families.”
In addition, he alleged a feeling of disappointment in the action of prosecutors, instead of working together with companies to create appropriate standards for each age. However, the companies that own social networks face hundreds of lawsuits in the United States. Other families and some school districts are responsible for these mass presentations.
An investigation carried out by several prosecutors in 2021 shows that some company practices can harm children. Likewise, a witness, Frances Haugen, stated that the company was aware of the issue.
Can social networks cause psychological damage to young people?
On the other hand, there are studies and research done on this problem, and their results are totally contradictory. Some say that using Facebook does not cause psychological damage. Although other studies suggest that spending so many hours on social networks has a negative impact on the mental health of young people.
The exact content of the lawsuit is being kept secret. Although, it is confirmed that part of the text refers to the filters that cause body dysmorphia in adolescents. This leads many of them to spend long periods of time worrying about alleged flaws in their appearance.
