Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is facing a lawsuit from 33 states alleging that the company knowingly allowed and pursued users under the age of 13 on its platforms. The latest revelations from the lawsuit claim that the Masters of the Universe “coveted and pursued” underage users.
Engadget reports that an unsealed complaint has revealed serious allegations against Meta, the parent company of popular social media platforms Instagram and Facebook. This lawsuit, filed by 33 states in the United States, alleges that Meta not only was aware of underage users on its platforms but actively “coveted and pursued” this demographic, particularly on Instagram.
Mark Zuckerberg Meta Selfie (Facebook)
The document, first brought to public attention by the New York Times, reveals that Meta has been accused of dishonest practices in how it manages accounts of users under the age of 13. The complaint suggests that Meta often failed to disable accounts of underage users when they were reported and continued to harvest their data. This practice is alleged to have been widespread and systematic within the company.
One of the key accusations in the complaint is that Meta’s enforcement of age restrictions on its platforms is severely lacking. Although Facebook and Instagram policies state that a user must be at least 13 years old to sign up, the lawsuit argues that it is easy for children to falsify their age, and Meta has done little to prevent or address this issue. The complaint cites instances where, out of over 1.1 million reports of underage users on Instagram from 2019 to 2023, Meta disabled only a fraction of these accounts.
The lawsuit further accuses Meta of routinely violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998. This act requires companies to obtain parental consent before collecting information from children under 13. The complaint alleges that Meta targeted children and collected their data without such consent.
The lawsuit also raises concerns about the impact of Meta’s platforms on young users. These include promoting unhealthy amounts of screen time, contributing to body dysmorphia, and exposing children to potentially harmful content.
This is particularly concerning because Meta’s own internal research shows that Instagram is toxic for teen girls. The Wall Street Journal reported on internal company documents, writing:
“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” the researchers said in a March 2020 slide presentation posted to Facebook’s internal message board, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves.”
…
“We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” said one slide from 2019, summarizing research about teen girls who experience the issues.
“Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression,” said another slide. “This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”
In a related move, Meta published a blog post earlier this month advocating for federal legislation that would place more responsibility on parents for their children’s app downloads, suggesting a requirement for parental approval for downloads by kids under 16.
Read more at Engadget here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.