According to CNET, some state attorneys general in the United States said on Thursday that they are investigating whether Meta (formerly known as Facebook) violated state consumer protection laws because it promotes its social media application Instagram to children and teenagers, even though it knows The harm of the service.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement: “Facebook, now Meta, failed to protect young people on its platform, and instead chose to ignore or in some cases double up on the physical and mental health implications. Known manipulation that is a real threat-the use of children for profit.”
Attorneys general from Massachusetts, California, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont are leading the investigation. According to a press release from the coalition, the bipartisan group will study how Meta has increased the “frequency and duration of participation of young users” and how this increased use can have harmful results.
After former Facebook product manager and whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Congress, the announcement highlighted how scrutiny of the world’s largest social network continues to heat up. The Wall Street Journal published a series of reports based in part on these documents, including an article on how Facebook knew that Instagram was harmful to teenage girls and worsened their body image and mental health.
Join RealMi Central on Telegram, Facebook & Twitter
The social network stated that the study was “wrongly described” and pointed out that the study also showed that some teenagers feel better about their body image after using Instagram. US lawmakers have also been holding hearings on the impact of social media on young people.
“These accusations are wrong and show a deep misunderstanding of the facts. Although the challenge of protecting young people online has affected the entire industry, we are fighting to bully and supporting people who fight suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and eating disorders. Has always been a leader in the industry,” a Meta spokeswoman said in a statement. Instagram has been developing new features designed to improve mental health, including a tool to remind users to take a break on the platform.