Instagram is linked to depression in children, says lawsuit – 10/24/2023 – Tech

Dozens of US states are suing Meta, owner of Instagram and Facebook, alleging that the companies contribute to a youth mental health crisis through the addictive nature of their social networks.

In a complaint filed this Tuesday (24) in federal court in Oakland, California, 33 US states said Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the considerable dangers of its platforms and knowingly induced children and teenagers into addiction and the compulsive use of platforms.

“Research has shown that youth use of Meta platforms is associated with depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and many other negative outcomes,” the complaint stated.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits against social media companies on behalf of children and teens. ByteDance’s TikTok and Google’s YouTube are also the targets of hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children and school districts related to social media addiction.

“Meta has taken advantage of powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract, engage and, ultimately, deceive young people and teenagers,” the complaint said. “His motive is profit.”

The suit seeks a variety of remedies, including substantial civil penalties. Meta said it has sought to keep young people safe online.

“We are disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, attorneys general chose this path,” Meta said in a statement.

Much of the focus on Meta comes from the release of documents in 2021 that showed the company had data showing that Instagram, which began as a photo-sharing app, was addictive and worsened body image issues for some teenage girls.

The lawsuit alleges that Meta strives to ensure that young people spend as much time as possible on social media, despite knowing that teenagers’ brains are susceptible to the need for approval over their content in the form of “likes” from other users. Meta publicly denied that its social media was harmful, according to the lawsuit.

The attorneys general of New Hampshire and Washington said they have filed related lawsuits in local courts. It is expected that seven other North American states will open similar processes this Tuesday (24), bringing the total number to 42.