Instagram's Impact On Children Probed By US States
NDTV
The investigation targets, Meta's techniques for increasing the frequency and duration of engagement by young users and the resulting harms, said California Attorney General
Instagram's parent-company Meta is being probed by a consortium of US states over allegations that it supplied the photo-sharing platform to children despite knowing of potential harm, in fresh trouble for the scandal-hit giant, officials said Thursday.
Facebook is battling one of its most serious reputational crises yet after a whistleblower leaked reams of internal documents showing executives knew of their sites' possibility for damage, prompting a renewed US push for regulation.
"Facebook, now Meta, has failed to protect young people on its platforms and instead chose to ignore or, in some cases, double down on known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health -- exploiting children in the interest of profit," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement.
The consortium of attorneys general -- states' top law enforcers and legal advisors -- includes New York, Colorado, California, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. A full list has not been released.
