Mike Peterson
A coalition of states attorneys general have opened an investigation into the impact of Meta-owned Instagram on children and young adults.
The investigation, announced on Thursday, will focus on whether or not Instagram provided and promoted its services to young people in a way that violated state consumer protection laws.
For example, the probe will target the techniques used by the company formerly known as Facebook to increase the engagement by young users and what types of harms that engagement could cause.
"Doesn't make a difference if you call it Instagram, Facebook, or Meta, the fact still remains the same: These social media platforms are extremely dangerous and have been proven to cause both physical and mental harm in young people," said New York Attorney General Letitia James. "Time and again, Mark Zuckerberg and the companies he run have put profits over safety, but our investigation seeks to end that behavior."
The investigation is bipartisan, with attorneys general from California, Massachusetts, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont involved.
A spokesperson for Meta said that the investigation was based on accusations that are "false and demonstrate a deep misunderstanding of the facts."
The investigation's announcement cites a leak of internal Facebook documents showing that the social media giant was aware of the effect that its platforms had on the mental health of young people.
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4 Comments
Tough one. On the one hand it turns them into self-obsessed, psychotic, information junkies but on the other hand their social behaviours are easier to track & ‘correct’
I’m thinking another stalemate.
Meta = Facebook as too many tech companies are here to "disrupt" the status quo. They have proven their strength with disregard to how it impacts peoples lives, small businesses and the fiber of society itself. Amazon has monopolized what was once retail in a way that Walmart tried to do but failed as a 20th century retailer.
Meta = Facebook's social media is a digital society in itself however it is not policed and thanks to the SCOTUS can never be held responsible for how and what its platform is used. How many businesses can function without ANY liability for their "product"?
Meta = Facebook's Instagram or as I call it "Insta-brag" is yet another anti-social "social platform" without guardrails, traffic cop, or monitors for civility. Younger people are addicted to their devices which Apple gave birth to with the original iPhone. None the genius in Silicon Valley took a course in human phycology, behavioral science or had any real understanding of empathy themselves. So here we are in a world being spun out of control by the likes of Mark Zukerberg, a figure who in reality makes every James Bond villain look like a clown.