Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined 32 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. – the company that owns Facebook and Instagram – for targeting children in ways that take advantage of them.
The suit alleges that the company intentionally exploits children’s immaturity and is aware that Meta’s social media platforms interfere with sleep and education, enable cyberbullying, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and thoughts of self-harm.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that during the decade since Instagram’s rise in popularity, the number of high school students who experience feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness and suicidal thoughts and ideation increased by 40%. In that same time period, there was a 30% increase in the rate of high school girls who attempted suicide.
Meta’s own research confirmed that its social media platforms are among the worst in harming young users.
According to the surgeon general, eighth and tenth graders now spend an average of three-and-a-half hours per day on social media and over half a million Illinois teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 access Instagram every day.
The lawsuit also alleges that Meta improperly collected the personal information of children under the age of 13.
