RICHMOND, Va. -- Dozens of states across the country, including Virginia, are suing Meta Platforms Inc.for harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares held a press conference Tuesday afternoon announcing that he signed onto the lawsuit because he believes there is a youth mental health crisis fueled by social media use.
He claims Meta is using tactics that violate Virginia consumer protection laws, and federal laws that protect children.
According to Miyares, research done by lead investigators found Meta knowingly collects children's data without parents’ consent, profited from running ads that specifically targeted kids, and designed features on the apps like infinite scrolling and alerts that made the app more addictive.
“Meta’s leadership had ample opportunity to make these changes needed on its platforms and time and time again they didn’t. They prioritized profits over our children’s safety and they continue to mislead the public of the harms,” Miyares said.
Miyares believes the state and federal lawsuits are putting Meta on notice much like they did with big tobacco companies. He said they need to do the right thing by working with them, or they will “see them in court.”
Many VCU freshmen in support of the lawsuit and shared the role social media had on their mental health as children.
Some students discussed how social media impacted their mental health in many different ways, while others called it addicting.
“They are at an age where their brains can be morphed into whatever they watch essentially.. and it’s lowkey really scary,” said VCU freshman Carolyn Torres.
In a statement, Meta said they are disappointed they chose to use this path in creating age-appropriate standards for all the many apps teens use.
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