According to the case filed in federal court in California, Meta, the business behind Facebook and Instagram, has continually minimized the hazards involved with its platforms. They are accused of luring young children and teenagers into the abyss of addiction and obsessive social media use. They explained that Meta has used strong and unprecedented technology to lure, engage, and entrap adolescents and teens. Profit is everything, they say.
Children have always been a desired target for businesses, to hook them early and keep them devoted. Meta is no exception; younger users mean more advertising, hoping these kids will become devoted customers. The catch is that the governments believe that research links Meta's social media platforms to specific significant concerns. We're talking about sadness, anxiety, insomnia, disrupting education, and destroying daily life. It's the digital equivalent of a sugar high.
Meta, of course, is displeased with the lawsuit. They expressed their anger and pointed fingers at the attorneys general, claiming that they should collaborate with the business to establish clear, age-appropriate guidelines for apps used by teenagers. Instead, they've gone the legal path.
To add to the drama, eight additional states and Washington, D.C., chose to join the lawsuit against Meta on the same day, bringing the total number of authorities suing the Menlo Park-based company to 42. That's like collecting the Avengers to take on social media.
But hold on, there's more! This isn't social media businesses' first rodeo. Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are already being sued on behalf of children and schools. It's like a courtroom marathon for digital giants.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, has already had to justify his company's stance on damaging content. He insists on putting safety and well-being ahead of money. However, the attorneys general disagree. They are fearless in using strong language, requesting fines ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 for each infringement of state rules. Given Instagram's millions of teenage users, this could rapidly build up to a significant charge for Meta.
The whistleblower who spilled the beans in 2021 has added spice to this case. According to the documents, Meta knew that Instagram was addicting, producing body image concerns in adolescent girls. The 33 states claim that Meta purposefully keeps young users hooked by abusing their need for "likes" and approval.
In an unexpected twist, the lawsuit contends that Meta broke a law that prohibits collecting data from children under the age of 13. They claim that Meta lied about the damaging nature of its platforms. According to the states, Meta's algorithms target the dopamine responses of young users to create an addictive loop of engagement. In layman's words, they're exploiting our brains.
The lawsuit says that Meta intends to expand its destructive tactics into virtual reality, including platforms like Horizon Worlds and apps like WhatsApp and Messenger.
In essence, this case is a daring attempt by state authorities to intervene where Congress has yet to establish new online child protections. "If you can't do it, we'll do it for you!" they say. Will these legal steps, however, be sufficient to preserve the mental health of adolescent internet users? The war has begun, taking place in the digital arena. Let us see if it has any impact on the realm of social media addiction and its consequences.
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by Rubah Usman via Digital Information World
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