Illinois Is Suing Facebook’s Parent Company: They’re Harming Kids

(The photo above shows a 2021 protest in the U.K. over Meta's practices of hooking children on their platforms, a movement that is taking root here in Illinois and throughout the U.S.)

Over the last couple of years, there's been a lot of news about tech companies getting sued here in Illinois for violating Illinois' BIPA laws and having to pay out settlements by the hundreds of millions of dollars. It's important to note that this particular lawsuit has nothing to do with BIPA.

This suit, a class-action lawsuit, includes 33 states that are accusing Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, of knowingly inducing teens into addictive social media use. At this point, it appears as if even more states will join in as Illinois just did.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul Had Some Seriously Strong Things To Say About Facebook And Instagram Parent Company Meta When He Announced Illinois' Participation In The Lawsuit

Obviously, AG Raoul is not the only one who has negative opinions of the way Meta goes about doing its business on Facebook and Instagram. With nearly 3 dozen other state attorneys general pursuing this, you'll here these sentiments a lot going forward.

MyStateline.com:

“Our children are in crisis, and we need to act,” Raoul said. “The addictive features on Meta’s social media platforms interfere with sleep and education, enable cyberbullying, and contribute to depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and thoughts of self-harm. I believe the action we are taking today against Meta is one of – if not the most – important consumer protection actions my office will take. The consequences will affect an entire generation of young people. I am committed to holding Meta, and any other responsible actors, accountable for putting profits ahead of our children.”

If You Feel Like Visiting The Multi-State Meta Complaint Page, You'll See A Very Large List Of Complaints About How Meta Companies Facebook And Instagram Focus On Young People

Sometimes reading through the legal talk can get boring and tedious, but in this case it's very interesting and more than just a little disturbing. Here are just a few items you'll find on the first pages of the complaint:

• Meta specifically targets young users
• Meta falsely represents that its social media platform features are safe and not designed to induce young users' compulsive and extended use
• Meta prioritizes maximizing engagement over young users' safety
• Meta's Recommendation Algorithms encourage compulsive use, which Meta does not disclose

You can read the entire complaint here.