41 States Sue Meta Over Alleged Harm to Young Users

A lawsuit led by Colorado, Tennessee and Massachusetts was filed Tuesday by 33 states in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It alleges Meta violated consumer protection laws through features such as infinite scroll and constant notifications. Eight other states, joined by Washington, D.C., brought a separate but similar case seeking an injunction, citing an extensive investigation by attorneys general.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said the bipartisan investigation concluded that Meta had harmed children and teens by cultivating addiction for corporate profit. The states also accuse the company of misleading users about whether its platforms were manipulative, encouraged prolonged and unhealthy engagement, and provided safe experiences for young people. They say those representations were false and misleading.

The states are seeking financial penalties. Their legal action follows former Meta employee Frances Haugen’s 2021 leak of company documents showing, according to the source, that Meta knew its products could harm teenagers’ mental health. After Haugen testified before Congress, Meta introduced parental controls; children’s advocacy groups said the plans lacked detail. The Federal Trade Commission concluded in May that Meta failed to protect children’s privacy on Messenger. A former Facebook executive said in 2017 that he would not let his own children use the platform.

The cases invoke the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and consumer protection laws. Politico reported Meta is likely to seek dismissal, arguing that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and the First Amendment shield it from liability for platform content. The states’ claims, however, focus on alleged deception about children’s safety. The 33-state suit says Meta used technology to “ensnare” young people and cites the company’s $116 billion in revenue in 2022. Haugen called the lawsuits “a giant leap forward in tech accountability.”