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A bipartisan group of state attorneys-general said Thursday they are investigating the company Meta, formerly known as Facebook, for promoting the social media app Instagram knowingly about the mental and emotional harm the service has caused.
At least nine states are participating in the investigation, including California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Vermont.
Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General and one of the leaders of the investigation, said states are examining whether the company’s actions violated state consumer protection laws and put the public at risk.
“Facebook, now Meta, has failed to protect youth on its platforms and has instead chosen to ignore, or in some cases double down on, known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health – exploiting children for profit,” Ms Healey said.
The move comes after a series of documents emerged from a detailed investigation of a former employee within the social media company that suggested that teens experience body image issues while using Instagram. documents, called Facebook PapersIt was shared with journalists in October. The Wall Street Journal first documents and Problems on Instagram with the help of informant Frances Haugen.
Doug Peterson, Nebraska Attorney General and another leader of the investigation, said states will examine “the techniques used by Meta to increase the frequency and duration of engagement of young users and the harms caused by such prolonged engagement.”
“When social media platforms treat our children as mere commodities to manipulate for longer screen time interaction and data extraction, it becomes imperative for state attorneys to engage our investigative powers under our consumer protection laws,” Peterson said in a tweet.
Spanning tens of thousands of pages and gigabytes of data, the Facebook Documents show a company struggling to deal with a multitude of issues that have emerged as a byproduct of its immense scale and billions of users, including misinformation, addiction, and manipulation of users worldwide. . Much of the information came in the form of detailed reports investigating issues raised by the company’s research division.
Meta said its research efforts are aimed at addressing the issues they have identified, with the aim of improving the company’s products and services.
About a third of teenage girls who already feel bad about their bodies said Instagram made them feel worse, the documents said. “Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women see and describe themselves,” the documents said.
Meta disputed the characterization of early news stories about Instagram’s problems, saying the story lacks context and leaves out vital information.
Meta representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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