2023-10-25 11:06:49
More than forty American states launched lawsuits Tuesday against the social media giant, accusing its Facebook and Instagram applications of harming the “mental and physical health of young people.”
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Meta once again in the crosshairs of justice.
“The American giant exploited powerful and unprecedented technologies to attract (…) and ultimately trap young people and adolescents in order to make profits“, assert the attorneys general in the complaint filed with a California court.
The states, Democrats and Republicans, claim that the California group has “concealed the way in which these platforms exploit and manipulate the most vulnerable consumers”, and “neglected the considerable damage” caused to the “mental and physical health of our country’s young people “.
This legal action represents the culmination of investigations carried out over two years into the methods of the two platforms, considered “addictive” by the authorities.
Contacted by AFP, Meta said he was “disappointed that the attorneys general have chosen this path instead of working productively with companies in the sector to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many applications used by teenagers”.
“We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe and positive online experiences, and we have already introduced more than 30 tools to support teens and their families,” said a spokesperson for the group.
“Limit not to be crossed”
States mobilized in the fall of 2021 after a former Facebook employee raised the alarm about the practices of her former company.
Engineer Frances Haugen leaked more than 20,000 pages of internal documents, insisting in front of various parliaments that the social media giant was putting profits before the safety of its users.
Since then, Meta has tried to reassure the authorities with the addition of tools to help parents monitor their children’s activities or to encourage adolescents to take a break, in particular.
But the group also sought not to be overtaken by TikTok, ultra popular among young people. Instagram copied its rival’s video format with “Reels”, dynamic clips that grab attention and that users easily scroll through.
According to Tuesday’s complaint, Facebook and Instagram’s features were designed to “manipulate young users into compulsive and prolonged use of the platforms.”
Prosecutors further accuse Meta of lying to the public (by assuring that its products are safe and suitable for teenagers) and violating children’s privacy law.
Up to 95% of young Americans aged 13 to 17 say they use a social network, a third of whom use it “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.
“National crisis”
Last May, Vivek Murthy, the chief medical officer of the United States, warned about the “extremely harmful effects” that social networks can have, believing that they played a major role in the “national mental health crisis young people”.
His report notably mentioned studies linking the use of platforms and the appearance of depressive symptoms, particularly among young girls, who are more vulnerable to the risks of cyber-harassment or eating disorders.
While Congress has been unable for years to agree on laws to better regulate information technology giants, both on questions of abuse of dominant position and consumer protection, the subject of children tends to unite the elected representatives of the two major political parties.
But not enough to lead to a major reform.
In the meantime, local elected officials, associations and families have mobilized. In the spring, Utah and then Arkansas adopted laws requiring social networks to obtain parental consent before granting minors access to their platforms.
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“With today’s legal action, we mark the line that must not be crossed,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement on Tuesday. “We must protect our children and we will not back down in this fight.”
The States are asking the courts to force Meta to put an end to its practices and are demanding the payment of fines.
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