Instagram linked to mental health problems in kids

• Meta is accused of using powerful technologies to target children and teens with social media ads.
• States claim Meta’s platforms harm kids’ mental health, sleep, and education.
• Meta denies this and is collaborating on age-appropriate standards for teen apps.

Attorneys General from 33 states, such as California and New York, filed a complaint on Tuesday alleging that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, habitually deceived the public regarding the risks of its platforms and intentionally encouraged addictive and compulsive social media use among young children and teenagers.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens,” according to the complaint filed in the Oakland, California, federal court. “Its motive is profit.”

For a while, companies have found children to be a desirable market segment, aiming to capture them as consumers during their formative years, when they are more open to influence and establish brand loyalty.

Meta may see younger consumers as a way to attract additional advertisers who anticipate that children will remain loyal customers as they mature.

“However, the states argued that studies have connected the use of Meta’s social media platforms by children with adverse effects such as depression, anxiety, sleep problems, disruption of education and daily routines, and various other negative consequences.”

Meta expressed its disappointment with the lawsuit.

“Instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” the company said.

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An additional eight U.S. states and Washington, D.C., are launching parallel lawsuits against Meta on Tuesday, making it a total of 42 authorities taking action against the California-based company in Menlo Park.

Meta’s shares declined by 0.6% on the Nasdaq.