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Raoul, other attorneys general file lawsuit against Meta

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A bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general is suing Meta over addictive features aimed at kids and teens, the AGs announced Tuesday. The support from so many state AGs of different political backgrounds indicates a significant legal challenge to Meta’s business.

Meta is now facing multiple lawsuits on this issue in several districts. AGs from 33 states filed a federal suit against Meta in the Northern District of California, while 9 additional AGs are filing in their own states, according to a press release from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office. […]

Several of the practices the AGs focus on for Meta are similar to those exercised by other social media businesses, such as designing algorithms to keep users engaged.

“We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement. “We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path.”

The lawsuit is here.

* From AG Raoul…

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul today announced that his office filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc. (Meta), the company that owns and operates Facebook and Instagram, for its harmful business practices targeting children.

The lawsuit, backed by a broad, bipartisan coalition of 33 states, was filed today in the federal district court for the Northern District of California. In their lawsuit, Raoul and the attorneys general allege that Meta’s business model, which seeks to capture as much user time and attention as possible to sell advertising, has targeted youth, including teenagers and even younger children, in ways that take advantage of them.

“Our children are in crisis, and we need to act,” Raoul said. “The addictive features on Meta’s social media platforms interfere with sleep and education, enable cyberbullying, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm. I believe the action we are taking today against Meta is one of – if not the most – important consumer protection actions my office will take. The consequences will affect an entire generation of young people. I am committed to holding Meta, and any other responsible actors, accountable for putting profits ahead of our children.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the second-leading cause of death among youth between the ages of 10 and 14. During the decade since Instagram’s rise in popularity, the CDC reported that 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.

Raoul and the coalition allege that Meta designed its social media platforms to include features that exploit young users’ psychological vulnerabilities to keep them using the platforms longer, and that many of these product features are strongly linked to damaging psychological outcomes. The attorneys general allege that Meta is aware of the potential harms its products cause youth, including driving impulsive behavior; interfering with sleep and education; and exacerbating issues young people have with depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm. Meta’s own research confirmed that its social media platforms are among the worst in harming young users.

“Our son, Nate Bronstein, forever 15, is no longer with us because social media platforms have for far too long placed profits over children’s safety,” said Rose and Rob Bronstein, whose son, died in 2022. “Nate, a super-sharp, funny kid who loved making others laugh, was cyberbullied by fellow students at the Latin School of Chicago. These teens, blinded by the drive to get shares and views, and emboldened by features like self-deleting messages, relied on social media to send vile, threatening messages to Nate, leading to his tragic passing. Reasonable people everywhere have long realized the danger that social media poses to our children, yet the unsafe features remain, and the harm continues, while the profits grow. Thank you to our courageous elected leaders for holding the social media platforms accountable for this reprehensible behavior and protecting other families from having to endure the worst imaginable tragedy.”

“Smartphones and social media are almost universally in every young person’s hand and have the capacity to deeply harm and exacerbate mental health challenges for young people,” said NAMI Illinois CEO Alexa James. “This is a serious public health issue complicating a deeply serious mental health crisis our children and their families are already facing.”

According to the surgeon general, eighth and tenth graders now spend an average of three-and-a-half hours per day on social media. In Illinois, nearly a million Illinois teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 access Instagram every month. From 2020 to 2021 in Illinois alone, over half a million Illinois teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 accessed Instagram every day.

Raoul’s lawsuit alleges that Meta violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting the personal information of children under the age of 13 without obtaining parental permission as required by that statute. The coalition is asking the court to enter an injunction stopping Meta from continuing these unlawful practices.

Today’s lawsuit stems from a bipartisan nationwide investigation announced by Raoul in November 2021, and is part of the Attorney General’s efforts to protect children online and address the negative impacts of social media platforms on young Illinois residents. In May 2021, Raoul joined a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general urging Facebook to abandon its plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. In March 2022, Raoul also announced a bipartisan nationwide investigation into TikTok for providing and promoting its social media platform to children and young adults despite its use being associated with physical and mental health harms.

…Adding… Sen. Rezin…

Illinois Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) issued the following statement in response to announcement that Illinois Attorney General has signed onto a multi-state lawsuit against Meta over the company’s use of addictive features aimed at kids and teens:

“I would like to thank Illinois Attorney General Raoul for his decision to join with 32 other state attorney generals to file a lawsuit to hold Meta accountable for the harmful and addictive algorithms they utilize to profit off of unsuspecting minors.

“I continue to remain committed to working with stakeholders to pass social media legislation during the General Assembly’s spring legislative session that will protect the well-being of our state’s children from every social media company that uses similar tactics that this lawsuit alleges.”

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 11:33 am

Comments

=We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path.”=

Can they be more insulting and tone deaf. Setting aside their admission that they are incapable of regulating themselves, the lawsuit is centered around the deliberate and manipulative way that Meta and others deliver content and gather personal information. This is akin to the bank robber ridiculing the bank for not making it harder to hold them up.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 11:46 am
“(A)ddictive features aimed at kids and teens”?

I see a lot of older folks falling for these addictive features.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 11:57 am
More blaming of social media companies for society’s problems.

Guess what? If there was no Facebook there would still be the same problems. Its not like kids will stop being addicted to their phones if Facebook ceases to exist.

Not sure if this is yet another coordinated shakedown or if these AGs truly believe they are making a difference. Regardless, this is bad news for social media companies in general and Meta in particular.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:06 pm
=Its not like kids will stop being addicted to their phones if Facebook ceases to exist.=

Respectfully, I would suggest digging a bit deeper. While it may be futile to try and protect kids from what they see online, we can and should prevent them from being exploited. There has been much studied, said, and written, often by former employees, around the weaponization of these algorithms.

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:19 pm
Maybe if Raoul and the other AGs get their way Zuckerberg and Elon could have their cage match in a prison cell.

Comment by Stuck in Celliniland Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:26 pm
Weaponization of the algorithms?

I mean, I understand that these companies use algorithms in targeting advertising with certain audiences, but I would hardly call that weaponization.

At the end of the day, the AGs will have to show causation and not a mere correlation. There are a lot of other factors that contribute to the poor mental health of our youth.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:29 pm
===There are a lot of other factors that contribute===

So why eliminate one, if there are so many?

Either correct it all or let things remain the same?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:30 pm
=but I would hardly call that weaponization.=

You don’t have to, but Meta does.

=Meta’s own research confirmed that its social media platforms are among the worst in harming young users.=

Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:39 pm
===I mean, I understand that these companies use algorithms in targeting advertising with certain audiences, but I would hardly call that weaponization.===

I think people are going to need to reorganize social media in their heads to occupy the same space big tobacco now occupies. Not too long ago, tobacco intentionally marketed to and appealed to kids to get and keep them engaged with their product using a cartoon, among other things. This is not that different in terms of the intentional exploitation of the still-forming brains of kids to make money. People got comfortable with understanding that big tobacco was doing all that on purpose, and I think we’re getting there with social media.

Good on the AG.

Comment by Who else Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:46 pm
=== You don’t have to, but Meta does. ===

I would like to see the research. While the research may admit to problems, I am sure the research does not admit to having weaponized their algorithms.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:48 pm
===I would like to see===

Reach out to Meta.

Let us know what you find out. No rush.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:50 pm
Another moral panic about new (ish) technology.

Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 12:50 pm
We will know AG Raoul is serious about his Meta and Instagram concerns for kids when he deletes his 2 Facebook accounts and 3 Instagram accounts.

Comment by Davison Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 1:06 pm
===when he deletes his===

Is that like being against something like… underage alcohol consumption can only be advocated by a teetotaler?

Raoul isn’t a teen.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 1:11 pm
interesting. Duolingo also throws out every trick in the pyschological profile drawer to keep people online. Now, in their case, they’ve made efforts to keep the non-educational parts off of the platform (they ended the old forums at least partially due to the issue of children)

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 1:28 pm
Big Tech may be the new Big Tobacco.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 1:57 pm
==concerns for kids when he deletes his 2 Facebook accounts and 3 Instagram accounts==

What do his accounts have to do with trying to protect kids?

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 2:08 pm
==If there was no Facebook there would still be the same problems. Its not like kids will stop being addicted to their phones if Facebook ceases to exist.==

Replace Facebook with “cigarettes” or “alcohol” and tell me what you think. Nobody is saying it shouldn’t exist. They are saying that Facebook uses sophisticated methods to prey on undeveloped brains. That seems like something that AGs should look into (they did for cigarettes and alcohol).

Comment by supplied_demand Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 2:54 pm
YouTube’s manipulation is even worse than FB.

Your next video (which we’ve chosen for you) is playing in 5, 4, 3, 2…

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Oct 24, 23 @ 3:38 pm