Attorney General Lynn Fitch issued the following statement on October 24.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch today joined a coalition of 42 Attorneys General in filing lawsuits against Meta in federal and state courts alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on its social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. While Meta falsely assured the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users, they were aware of the dangers to young people’s mental and physical well-being.
These practices have harmed and continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens and have fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” which has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people.
“The mental health epidemic facing our youth is alarming, but not puzzling,” said General Fitch. “Meta has been conducting a social experiment on our children’s developing brains, knowing they were causing damage, and refusing to make changes to mitigate that damage. While we may not know the impact of this experiment for decades, we know now that our children are suffering higher levels of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. You cannot reap profits off America’s children without being held accountable.”
A complaint filed by General Fitch in the Chancery Court for the First Judicial District of Hinds County alleges that Meta designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive, purposefully targeted children and teens, and took advantage of their biologically limited capacity for self-control. Meta knew, the complaint alleges, of the wide range of harms compulsive use causes, including increased levels of depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorders; altered psychological and neurological development; and reduced sleep, as well as the increased exposure to bullying, unwanted advances, and other similarly difficult and even age inappropriate circumstances. Yet, the company continued to assure the public its platforms were safe and concealed the known significant risks.
Seven other states filing parallel complaints in state courts across the country today made similar allegations. In addition to these state complaints, 33 Attorneys General filed a federal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that Meta knew of the harmful impact of its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, on young people. Florida filed a separate but similar federal lawsuit today.
While much of these complaints rely on confidential material that is not yet available to the public, publicly available sources including those previously released by former Meta employees detail that Meta profited by purposely making its platforms addictive to children and teens. Its platform algorithms push users into descending “rabbit holes” in an effort to maximize engagement. Features like infinite scroll and near-constant alerts were created with the express goal of hooking young users. These manipulative tactics continually lure children and teens back onto the platform. As Aza Raskin, the original developer of the infinite scroll concept, noted to the BBC about the feature’s addictive qualities: “If you don't give your brain time to catch up with your impulses, . . . you just keep scrolling.”
Meta knew these addictive features harmed young people’s physical and mental health, including undermining their ability to get adequate sleep, but did not disclose the harm nor did they make meaningful changes to minimize the harm. Instead, they claimed their platforms were safe for young users.
These company choices, the complaints allege, violate state consumer protection laws and/or COPPA (the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act).
These lawsuits are the result of a bipartisan, nationwide investigation. Nearly all the Attorneys General in the country have worked together since 2021 to investigate Meta for providing and promoting its social media platforms to children and young adults while their use is associated with physical and mental health harms. While some states have pursued litigation in state court and others in collective federal action, the Attorneys General will continue to work together as the litigation continues.
The multistate coalition that brought today’s complaint is also investigating TikTok’s conduct on a similar set of concerns. That investigation remains ongoing, and states have pushed for adequate disclosure of information and documents in litigation related to TikTok’s failure to provide adequate discovery in response to requests by the Tennessee Attorney General’s office.
States joining the multistate federal lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Florida's lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
In addition to General Fitch, Attorneys General filing lawsuits in their own state courts are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont.
18 comments:
Meanwhile she is on every social media platform. Set an example, let us know you mean it, get off Facebook and IG
I have a nephew who got one of these devices. Before he was a nice polite well behaved 7 year old. After about 6 months of him being heavily involved with the ocular system he is now a belligerent little shit. My sister simply will not see it because it has become an incredible way for her not to have to be a involved parent. So much of this is going on and I do not believe its an accident.
How's that lawsuit against China going Lynn?
Social media is an unregulated drug.
She just lost my vote.
The Social Dilemma should be required viewing for all middle school students and their parents.
someone has to kill the babysitter!
How about parents not giving their children smart phones? If those phone calls are so important they can have flip-phones without internet access.
Smart phones for children are the devil's work.
When Fitch isn't suing China she is boot-strapping onto the work of other AGs. After she fired all of the good attorneys in her office this is the extent of her capability.
Meanwhile she is spamming the world on social media. Desperate measures for desperate people.
Could she shut down Shad's twitter account?
Why not - she's already sued the Biden Administration and China. I wonder how those suits are progressing...?
Free market?
Kids harmed, $ snatched by state. Dilly dilly.
Others nailed it. Fitch is a follower, not a leader.
There must be a daily notification that alerts all attorney's general of opportunities to sign onto various suits and causes.
Sort of like the liberals get those talking-points alerts from that Maddow guy every morning.
I will not vote for her opponent, who supports abortion, but the opponent is right when she says Fitch is unqualified, has no courtroom experience and is not representing the state well.
In Mississippi, you can indict a persimmon and you can elect a possum.
Good for her. Kids get groomed by the liberal 5th column on social media while they are young and impressionable. She needs to include discord and the Roblox and Minecraft apps that allow kids to socially intersex with strangers who pull them into LGBTQ chat rooms and help them question their pronouns and sexuality. I would like to see the developers and owners of these apps get strung up in public for the damage they have caused. If your kids are playing with this you need to stop it right now before it’s too late.
8:12, Surely you know she's never had an original thought or opinion in her adult life and can do none of what you dream of.
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