California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on October 15 that a bipartisan coalition of 33 state attorneys general successfully thwarted Meta’s attempt to dismiss their lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Meta has harmed children’s mental health and violated federal laws by allowing young users access to its platforms.
In October 2023, Bonta led this coalition in filing a federal lawsuit against Meta in the Northern District of California. The suit accuses the company of designing and implementing harmful features on Instagram and Facebook that lead to addiction among children and teenagers, adversely affecting their mental and physical health while misrepresenting these impacts to the public.
According to the federal complaint, Meta’s misconduct includes creating a business model focused on maximizing the time young users spend on its platforms. The company allegedly deployed harmful and psychologically manipulative platform features while misleading the public about their safety. Furthermore, Meta published reports that understated user harm rates, despite substantial evidence linking its platforms to negative outcomes for young users. The company has reportedly refused to confront these harms and has continued to downplay the negative effects of its platforms.
Bonta emphasized that Meta must be held accountable for the real damages it has inflicted on children in California and across the nation. Beyond legislative efforts to drive market change, this lawsuit aims to clarify how social media companies can be held responsible and how they should treat children in the coming decades. “I am hopeful for the future. California, as the home of great innovators and a thriving tech center, has a unique opportunity and responsibility to be a catalyst for change. Meta can and must do better. Our children deserve to have their childhoods,” he stated.
As of this report, there has been no response from Meta.
