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A court document claims that Meta took data from kids’ Instagram accounts. Meta allegedly didn’t close most accounts of kids under 13 and collected their info without parents’ okay. Lawyers from 33 states say Meta got over a million reports about under-13 Instagram users but only shut down a few.
The lawsuit wants the court to stop Meta from these actions, asking for fines that could reach hundreds of millions. Meta supposedly broke rules by gathering info from kids under 13 without parental consent, violating online privacy laws.
Meta responded, saying verifying ages online is tough and that they support laws needing parental consent for teens under 16 downloading apps. They deny pushing harmful content or promoting eating disorders.
The lawsuit claims Meta knew their platform could guide kids to upsetting content. Internal messages allegedly show employees worried about negative feelings from posts, especially impacting teen girls. They also suggest that Meta knew their algorithm could make users spend more time on the platform, even if it was harmful.
Despite knowing about these issues, the lawsuit alleges Meta didn’t change its algorithm. The lawsuit also accuses Meta of knowingly using features that make kids addicted to their platforms while damaging their self-worth.
Many state attorneys general are suing Meta for similar reasons, starting from a 2021 investigation triggered by a Facebook whistleblower’s documents revealing how the company’s products affected young people’s mental health.
