‘Enough is Enough.’ 8 State Attorneys General Launch Investigation into Instagram’s Harmful Effect on Kids
A group of state attorneys general are investigating the photo-sharing platform Instagram and its effects on children and young adults, saying its parent company Facebook — now called Meta Platforms — ignored internal research about the physical and mental health dangers it posed to young people.
An investigation was led by an alliance of bipartisan attorneys general representing California, Florida. Kentucky, Massachusetts. New Jersey. Tennessee. It follows damning newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal, based on the company’s own research that found that the company knew about the harms Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues.
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A consortium of news agencies, including The Associated Press have published their findings based upon leaked documents from Frances Haugen. Frances Haugen has previously testified in front of Congress and a British parliamentary panel about her discoveries.
“For too long, Meta has ignored the havoc that Instagram is wreaking on the mental health and well-being of our children and teens,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Enough is enough. We’ve undertaken this nationwide investigation to get answers about Meta’s efforts to promote the use of this social media platform to young Californians – and to determine if, in doing so, Meta violated the law.”
The investigation targets, among other things, the techniques Meta uses to keep young people on its platforms — and the harms that extended time spent on Instagram can cause.
In a statement, Meta spokesperson Liza Crenshaw called the accusations “false” and said they demonstrate “a deep misunderstanding of the facts.”
“While challenges in protecting young people online impact the entire industry, we’ve led the industry in combating bullying and supporting people struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-injury, and eating disorders,” Crenshaw said in the statement.
The state investigations follow a Monday announcement that Ohio’s largest public employee pension fund had sued Meta, alleging that it broke federal securities law by purposely misleading the public about the negative effects of its social platforms and the algorithms that run them.
Ohio Public Employees Retirement System sued Facebook, claiming that it concealed important information regarding how it managed these algorithms. It also claims it failed to take the necessary steps to protect the public.
