If you are a teenager (or even an adult), you know just how addictive the Insta feed can be. You start by taking a break for five minutes, and before you know it, time blindness has crept up on you and 55 minutes have passed!
Turns out, you are not alone. Minors all over the world are displaying this behavior.
33 American states filed a joint complaint against Meta on October 24th.
The suit was filed in a federal court in Oakland, California. The suit says that Meta:
Collected data of children younger than 13 (this is illegal in the US)
Knowingly installed addictive features on its social media platforms – Instagram and Facebook
The complaint states: Meta has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.
Are the charges new?
Not at all. In fact, Meta’s own study, conducted in 2021, confirmed that young girls had indicated that the use of Meta makes negative thoughts harder to beat.
The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, started his tenure by warning about the bad effects of social media on the mental health of children and teenagers.
Nine more states are expected to join the lawsuit soon. That will take the count to 42 out of 50 states of USA.
What has Meta done?
Meta said that it has added 30 tools to help parents and children stay safe on its platforms. It has also paused the development of Insta Kids – an Instagram like app for children.
However, children and teens who use Meta and other social media platforms are known to suffer from addiction. There are deaddiction centers around the world. It is also well-known that these companies deliberately use AI to make their products addictive to users. A documentary called The Social Network may be referenced to know more about this addiction.
What happens now?
The lawsuit is subjudice. If the Attorney Generals succeed, Meta could be fined and some changes in its business practices may be mandated (made necessary) by the government.