Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Dozens of states sued Meta on Tuesday, accusing the company of putting profit ahead of the safety of its young users.
The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, argues that Meta unlawfully misled the public about the harms its products, like Facebook and Instagram, could impose on children and teens. By implementing a business model meant to maximize time on the platform, Meta contributed to a youth mental health crisis, the complaint says.
“Over the past decade,” the lawsuit says, “Meta has profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans.”
“Meta has profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans.”
The complaint alleges that Meta knowingly…
