Some states in the US have announced plans to investigate how social media sites, Instagram targets children, despite it posing potential risks to them.
The group of states- made up of both Democrat and Republican states - is
investigating Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta to determine if
consumer protection laws were broken.
It comes after a Facebook company whistleblower testified
in the US that the company knew its products can harm children. Facebook, which
owns Instagram and WhatsApp changed its name to Meta last month after a series
of scandals came to public knowledge.
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, in testimony to lawmakers in the US,
said the company knowingly pushed its platforms to young children despite
knowing that they could cause health issues.
In September, the platform abandoned plans for a child-focused app after a
group of over 40 state attorneys general wrote and urged them to cancel it.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat
who first announced the inquiry, tweeted:
"Facebook, or Meta, has known Instagram is linked to depression, eating
disorders & suicide among young people."
"We will identify if any laws were broken and end the abuse for
good."
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, a Republican, said that the companies
"treat our children as mere commodities to manipulate for longer screen
time engagement and data extraction".
"These social media platforms are extremely dangerous and have been proven
to cause both physical and mental harm in young people," added New York
Attorney General Letitia James.
A Meta spokesman pushed back against the allegations on
Thursday, November 18 .
"These accusations are false and demonstrate a deep
misunderstanding of the facts," a spokesman said in a statement.
"While challenges in protecting young people online impact the entire
industry, we've led the industry in combating bullying and supporting people
struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-injury, and eating disorders," he
added.
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