PA, 41 States Sue Meta Over 'Addictive' Features They Say Harm Kids

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania is among 42 states that have filed a federal lawsuit against Meta, alleging the social media giant is responsible for harming young people's mental health and has contributed to a mental health crisis among the country's youth.

The 233-page lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that the company "knowingly designed" harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that make children and teens addicted to the platform.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without informing parents or obtaining parental consent, which is a violation of federal law. A coalition of 32 attorneys general filed the suit; nine additional attorneys general are filing lawsuits in their respective states, bringing the total number of attorneys general taking action against Meta to 42.

In addition to Pennsylvania, New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and dozens of others joined the coalition to file the suit. Filing lawsuits in their own state courts are the attorneys general of Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.

According to information released by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Meta designed features on its platforms that it knew would "harp on young users’ vulnerabilities."

According to the suit, these features include algorithms that are designed to recommend content to keep users on the platform longer and encourage compulsive use, incessant alerts meant to induce young users to return to Meta’s platforms constantly, even while at school and throughout the night, visual filter features known to promote young users’ body dysmorphia and content-presentation formats, such as “infinite scroll,” designed to keep young users on the platform for as long as possible.

In a statement provided to Patch, Meta said it shared 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."

However, the company added: "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.”

In 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Meta's own research showed the tech giant knew the harmful effects Instagram had on young people, particularly teen girls. An internal study reportedly found that 13.5 percent of teen girls said Instagram worsened suicidal thoughts. Seventeen percent of teen girls said the platform worsened eating disorders.