States launch bipartisan investigation into Instagram's effects on kids

Eight states have launched an investigation of whether Meta — formerly Facebook — broke consumer protection laws by trying to attract kids to its platforms, prosecutors announced on Thursday.

The bipartisan group involves attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont. 

"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, a Democrat, said in a statement announcing the effort.