Staff Reports
In a recent lawsuit, it was claimed that Meta (formerly known as Facebook) was fully aware that many of its Instagram users were under the age of 13, despite their public claims otherwise. The lawsuit was filed by the attorney generals of 33 states, making it abundantly clear that the tech giant has been playing fast and loose with the rules, just to boost their bottom line.
According to the lawsuit, internal company chats revealed that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, openly acknowledged that tweens were lying about their age to create accounts. But then, only a month later, he had the audacity to tell a Senate panel that children under 13 were not permitted on Instagram. What a joke! It’s clear that their public-facing claims are nothing but a smokescreen to cover up their shady practices.
Meta Secretly 'Coveted and Pursued' Preteens Not Supposed to be on Instagram: Unsealed Lawsuit Complaint https://t.co/pXQNfdoEtO
— tobinjdavis (@tobinjdavis) November 27, 2023
The lawsuit also disclosed that Meta had been actively pursuing the under-13 Instagram user demographic for years, blatantly disregarding their own supposed policies. In fact, they knew full well that millions of users were under the age of 13, and shockingly, they were proud of it! They even had internal documents from 2018 stating that they did very little to keep under-13s off their platform. It’s apparent that Meta has been turning a blind eye while raking in profits from these underage accounts.
And get this—Meta’s own surveys showed that a staggering 22 percent of kids aged 6 to 9 and 35 percent of those aged 10 to 12 were using Instagram. This just goes to show that not only did Meta know about these young users, but they actively pursued them because they saw dollar signs. It’s outrageous that they put a $270 lifetime value on a 13-year-old user, and that’s just the global average! American teens were considered even more valuable to them. It’s sickening to see a company place financial gain over the well-being of children.
In an opinion piece for the New York Post, Rikki Schlott highlighted the devastating impact of Instagram on youth mental health, citing the lawsuit as evidence that Meta deliberately perpetuated this harm. Not only did Meta’s internal data reveal that a third of teen girls felt worse about their body image because of Instagram, but 17 percent said it worsened their eating issues. This is appalling and should not be taken lightly.
The attorney generals of 33 states are taking a stand against Meta, and rightly so. This bipartisan coalition is defending youth mental health and holding accountable a company that has knowingly caused harm. It’s time for Meta to face the music and be held responsible for the damage they’ve inflicted on our youth.
It’s clear that Meta’s priority is profits over the well-being of our children, and it’s time for them to be held accountable. The lawsuit brought forth by the attorney generals sheds light on the dark underbelly of tech giants like Meta, and it’s a battle worth fighting. The future of our children is at stake, and it’s high time Meta faces the consequences of their reprehensible actions.
