Forty-one staff and County of Colombia filed a lawsuit against META*, claiming that the technological giant harms children, introducing dependent functions on Instagram and Facebook. This legal action was the most significant step in state bodies to control the influence of social networks on the mental health of children.
The claims became the result of the extensive investigation of 2021 that Meta contributes to mental health problems among young people. “Our bicameral investigation has come to a serious conclusion: Meta is harmful to our children and adolescents, cultivating dependence for the sake of corporate profit,” said Rob Bont California Prosecutor General.
While the exact volume of legal claims can vary, it is expected that they will depict a similar picture: the company attracts children to its platforms using harmful and manipulative tactics.
Representative of Meta, Lisa Krenshow, said that the company was “disappointed that instead of productive work with companies throughout the industry to create clear standards for many applications used by adolescents, general prosecutors have chosen this path.”
The influence of META products on young people became the subject of national attention after in 2021 in Wall Street Journal