Revealed: Meta Platforms Under Fire for Allowing Millions of Kids on Instagram!
In a recently revealed legal complaint, 33 states claim that Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms, knowingly permitted millions of users below the age of 13 to access its services, only disabling a portion of the reported accounts. The complaint alleges that Meta violated federal laws protecting children’s privacy by collecting personal information, such as locations and email addresses, without obtaining parental consent. According to the court filing, Meta’s knowledge of underage users is widely known within the company, with detailed documentation kept confidential. If proven true, Meta could potentially face substantial civil penalties, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of dollars.
The legal battle and the company’s response
These privacy charges are part of a broader federal lawsuit filed by 34 states, including California and Colorado, that accuse Meta Platforms of unfairly imprisoning young users on Instagram and Facebook while covering up internal investigations highlighting harm to users. The lawsuit aims to force Meta to stop using features it claims harm young users, The New York Times reported.
In response, Meta expressed its disappointment and emphasized its commitment to teen online safety, highlighting the rollout of more than 30 tools to support young people and their families. The company criticized the lawyer for not cooperating with the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the use of teen apps.
Legal scrutiny intensified after former Meta employee Frances Haugen, a whistleblower, released internal documents in late 2021. Haugen’s revelations included allegations that the company had deliberately targeted vulnerable young users to boost profits. Internal Instagram research presented by Haugen to Congress showed that many teenage girls using the platform experienced depression and anxiety related to their body image.
Meta, along with Snap, TikTok and Google, are currently facing numerous lawsuits linking their platforms to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and insomnia in adolescents and young adults. The companies are countering the lawsuits, arguing that they improperly seek to regulate content, according to a Bloomberg report.
Increasing pressure from lawmakers to protect young users from harmful content has led to increased interest in technologies such as age verification. However, privacy groups are concerned about the lack of testing of such technologies and data security issues. Laws requiring age verification on social media and adult websites have faced First Amendment challenges in the courts.
