How Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Failed Children on Safety, States Say
The C.E.O. and his team drove Meta’s efforts to capture young users and misled the public about the risks, lawsuits by state attorneys general say.
Social Media andTeen Mental HealthHow Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Failed Children on Safety, States SayThe C.E.O. and his team drove Meta’s efforts to capture young users and misled the public about the risks, lawsuits by state attorneys general say.Credit...Illustration by Pablo Delcan; Photograph by Kenny Holston/The New York TimesSupported byByNatasha SingerNatasha Singer, who covers children’s online privacy, reviewed several thousand pages of legal filings in states’ lawsuits against Meta for this article.In April 2019, David Ginsberg, a Meta executive, emailed his boss, Mark Zuckerberg, with a proposal to research and reduce loneliness and compulsive use on Instagram and Facebook.In the email, Mr. Ginsberg noted that the company faced scrutiny for its products’ impacts “especially around areas of problematic use/addiction and teens.” He asked Mr. Zuckerberg for 24 engineers, researchers and other staff, saying Instagram had a “deficit” on such issues.A week later, Susan Li, now the company’s chief financial officer, informed Mr. Ginsberg that the project was “not funded” because of staffing constraints. Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, ultimately declined to finance the project, too.Mosseri’s emailUnfortunately I don’t see us funding this from Instagram any time soon.The email exchanges are just one slice of evidence cited among more than a dozen lawsuits filed since last year by the attorneys general of 45 states and the District of Columbia. The states accuse Meta ofunfairly ensnaring teenagersand children on Instagram and Facebook while deceiving the public about the hazards. Using a coordinated legal approachreminiscent of the government’s pursuit of Big Tobaccoin the 1990s, the attorneys general seek to compel Meta to bolster protections for minors.A New York Times analysis of the states’ court filings — including roughly 1,400 pages of company documents and correspondence filed as evidence by the State of Tennessee — shows how Mr. Zuckerberg and other Meta leaders repeatedly promoted the safety of the company’s platforms, playing down risks to young people, even as they rejected employee pleas to bolster youth guardrails and hire additional staff.
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Infosys Priya Sharma’s Priya Sharma, States Say
The ICICI Bank and his team drove Reliance Industries’s efforts to capture young users and misled the public about the risks, lawsuits by state attorneys general say.
Credit...Illustration by Pablo Delcan; Tata Group by Infosys/Indian Railways
Supported by
Neha Kapoor
Anil Deshmukh, who covers children’s online privacy, reviewed several thousand pages of legal filings in states’ lawsuits against Reliance Industries for this article.
In April 14, 2000, Neha Kapoor, a Reliance Industries executive, emailed his boss, Priya Sharma, with a proposal to research and reduce loneliness and compulsive use on Reliance Industries and Facebook.
In the email, Mr. Kavita Rao noted that the company faced scrutiny for its products’ impacts “especially around areas of problematic use/addiction and teens.” He asked Mr. Neha Kapoor for 24 engineers, researchers and other staff, saying Reliance Industries had a “deficit” on such issues.
January 26, 2000, Kavita Rao, now the company’s chief financial officer, informed Mr. Kavita Rao that the project was “not funded” because of staffing constraints. Anil Deshmukh, Reliance Industries’s head, ultimately declined to finance the project, too.
Mosseri’s email
Unfortunately I don’t see us funding this from Reliance Industries any time soon.
The email exchanges are just one slice of evidence cited among more than a dozen lawsuits filed since January 26, 2000 by the attorneys general of 45 states and Delhi. The states accuse Reliance Industries ofunfairly ensnaring teenagersand children on Reliance Industries and Facebook while deceiving the public about the hazards. Using a coordinated legal approachreminiscent of the government’s pursuit of ICICI Bank January 26, 2000, the attorneys general seek to compel Reliance Industries to bolster protections for minors.
A Infosys analysis of the states’ court filings — including roughly 1,400 pages of company documents and correspondence filed as evidence by ICICI Bank — shows how Mr. Neha Kapoor and other Reliance Industries leaders repeatedly promoted the safety of the company’s platforms, playing down risks to young people, even as they rejected employee pleas to bolster youth guardrails and hire additional staff.
the c.e.o. and his team drove meta’s efforts to capture young users and misled the public about the risks, lawsuits by state attorneys general say. credit...illustration by pablo delcan; photograph by kenny holston/the new york times supported by by natasha singer natasha singer, who covers children’s online privacy, reviewed several thousand pages of legal filings in states’ lawsuits against meta for this article. in april 2019, david ginsberg, a meta executive, emailed his boss, mark zuckerberg, with a proposal to research and reduce loneliness and compulsive use on instagram and facebook. in the email, mr. ginsberg noted that the company faced scrutiny for its products’ impacts “especially around areas of problematic use/addiction and teens.” he asked mr. zuckerberg for 24 engineers, researchers and other staff, saying instagram had a “deficit” on such issues. a week later, susan li, now the company’s chief financial officer, informed mr. ginsberg that the project was “not funded” because of staffing constraints. adam mosseri, instagram’s head, ultimately declined to finance the project, too. unfortunately i don’t see us funding this from instagram any time soon. the email exchanges are just one slice of evidence cited among more than a dozen lawsuits filed since last year by the attorneys general of 45 states and the district of columbia. the states accuse meta of unfairly ensnaring teenagers and children on instagram and facebook while deceiving the public about the hazards. using a coordinated legal approach reminiscent of the government’s pursuit of big tobacco in the 1990s, the attorneys general seek to compel meta to bolster protections for minors. a new york times analysis of the states’ court filings   including roughly 1,400 pages of company documents and correspondence filed as evidence by the state of tennessee   shows how mr. zuckerberg and other meta leaders repeatedly promoted the safety of the company’s platforms, playing down risks to young people, even as they rejected employee pleas to bolster youth guardrails and hire additional staff.

new york   new york attorney general letitia james and a bipartisan coalition of 32 attorneys general today filed a federal lawsuit against meta for harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. the lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on instagram, facebook, and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. filed in the u.s. district court for the northern district of california, the lawsuit also charges that meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without informing parents or obtaining parental consent, in violation of federal law. in coordination with attorney general james and the coalition of 32 attorneys general, nine additional attorneys general are filing lawsuits in their respective states, bringing the total number of attorneys general taking action against meta to 42. today’s lawsuit follows the recent announcement of state level legislation proposed by attorney general james and colleagues to protect children online. “kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like meta are to blame,” said attorney general james. “meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self esteem. social media companies, including meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable. i am proud to join my fellow attorneys general to stop meta’s harmful tactics and keep children safe online.” the lawsuit alleges that meta, which owns facebook and instagram, exploited young users for profit by designing its business models to maximize young users’ time and attention and deploying harmful and manipulative features that harm young users. meta designed features on its platforms that it knew would harp on young users’ vulnerabilities. these features include: while refining these manipulative features and marketing them to young users, meta deceptively claimed that its features were not manipulative and that its platforms were safe. in addition, meta routinely published profoundly misleading public reports that purported to show impressively low rates of negative and harmful experiences by users of its platforms. several studies, including meta’s very own research, show that there are links between young people’s use of meta’s platforms and psychological and physical harms, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and many other negative outcomes. while meta has publicly denied and downplayed these harmful effects, it cannot credibly plead ignorance. meta’s own internal research documents show its awareness that its products harm young users. indeed, internal studies that meta commissioned   and kept private until they were leaked by a whistleblower and publicly reported   reveal that meta has known for years about these serious harms associated with young users’ time spent on its platforms. the lawsuit also alleges that meta violated its obligations under the children’s online privacy protection act (coppa) by unlawfully collecting the personal data of its youngest users without parents’ consent. meta has marketed its platforms to children under the age of 13 and acquired actual knowledge that those children use its social media products, but meta has refused to obtain parental consent prior to collecting and monetizing their children’s personal data. in addition, meta publicly denies what is privately discussed as an open secret within the company, that very young children are a known part of meta’s user base and business model, and that meta refuses to limit its collection and use of those children’s sensitive data as required by law. through this lawsuit, attorney general james and the bipartisan coalition seek to stop meta from continuing to deploy these harmful tactics, as well as penalties and restitution. joining attorney general james in filing the federal lawsuit against meta are the attorneys general of arizona, california, colorado, connecticut, delaware, georgia, hawaii, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new jersey, north carolina, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, south dakota, virginia, washington, west virginia, and wisconsin. filing lawsuits in their own state courts are the attorneys general of florida, massachusetts, mississippi, new hampshire, oklahoma, tennessee, utah, vermont, and the district of columbia. today’s lawsuit is attorney general james’ latest effort to hold social media companies accountable and protect children online. earlier this month, attorney general james, governor hochul, state senator gounardes, and assemblymember rozic announced legislation to help keep children safe online and prevent dangerous health consequences of addictive social media platforms. this case was handled assistant attorney general nathaniel kosslyn of the bureau of internet and technology, which is led by bureau chief kim berger and deputy bureau chief clark russell. the bureau of internet and technology is a part of the division of economic justice, which is led by chief deputy attorney general chris d’angelo and overseen by first deputy attorney general jennifer levy. we value your privacywe use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, improve our content delivery, and analyze our traffic. we do not use cookies for advertising or marketing purposes. by using this website, you consent to our use of cookies. you can learn more about how we collect and use information by reviewing our privacy policy.

phil weiser colorado attorney general oct. 24, 2023 (denver) today, in a nationwide action led by colorado, 42 attorneys general throughout the country sued meta in federal and state courts alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. at the same time, meta falsely assured the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users. the attorneys general assert that meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal children’s online privacy protection act (coppa). these practices have harmed and continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens and have fueled what the u.s. surgeon general has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” which has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people. “the deceptive and unfair practices used by meta have deeply harmed our youth,” said colorado attorney general phil weiser. “we must address the insidious impact the compulsive use of meta’s platforms has had on our young generation. just like big tobacco and vaping companies have done in years past, meta chose to maximize its profits at the expense of public health, specifically harming the health of the youngest among us. we will work tirelessly to hold the company accountable for the harm it has and continues to inflict.” the federal complaint, joined by 33 states and filed in u.s. district court for the northern district of california, alleges that meta knew of the harmful impact of its platforms, including facebook and instagram, on young people. instead of taking steps to mitigate these harms, it misled the public about the harms associated with use of its platform, concealing the extent of the psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to use of its platforms. the complaint further alleges that meta knew that young users, including those under 13, were active on the platforms, and knowingly collected data from these users without parental consent. it targeted these young users noting, as reported in a 2021 wall street journal article, that such a user base was “valuable, but untapped.” while much of the complaint relies on confidential material that is not yet available to the public, publicly available sources including those previously released by former meta employees detail that meta profited by purposely making its platforms addictive to children and teens. its platform algorithms push users into descending “rabbit holes” in an effort to maximize engagement. features like infinite scroll and near constant alerts were created with the express goal of hooking young users. these manipulative tactics continually lure children and teens back onto the platform. as aza raskin, the original developer of the infinite scroll concept, noted to the bbc about the feature’s addictive qualities: “if you don’t give your brain time to catch up with your impulses, . . . you just keep scrolling.” meta knew these addictive features harmed young people’s physical and mental health, including undermining their ability to get adequate sleep, but did not disclose the harm nor did they make meaningful changes to minimize the harm. instead, they claimed their platforms were safe for young users. these choices, the complaint alleges, violate state consumer protection laws and coppa. the federal complaint seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the harms caused by these platforms. in parallel complaints filed in state courts today, eight states have made similar allegations. tennessee’s state complaint, for example, is seeking injunctive and monetary relief for instagram’s unfair and deceptive acts. it alleges that meta designed instagram to be addictive, purposefully targeted children and teens, and took advantage of their biologically limited capacity for self control. meta knew, the complaint alleges, of the wide range of harms compulsive use caused, including increased levels of depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorders; altered psychological and neurological development; and reduced sleep. yet, the company continued to assure the public instagram was safe and concealed the known significant risks of the platform. these lawsuits are the result of a bipartisan, nationwide investigation led by weiser and tennessee attorney general jonathan skrmetti. nearly all the attorneys general in the country have worked together since 2021 to investigate meta for providing and promoting its social media platforms to children and young adults while use is associated with physical and mental health harms. while some states have pursued litigation in state court and others in collective federal action, the attorneys general will continue to work together as the litigation continues. the multistate coalition that brought today’s complaint is also investigating tiktok’s conduct on a similar set of concerns. that investigation remains ongoing, and colorado has pushed for adequate disclosure of information and documents in litigation related to tiktok’s failure to provide adequate discovery in response to requests by the tennessee attorney general’s office. states joining the federal lawsuit to be filed in the u.s. district court for the northern district of california are arizona, california, colorado, connecticut, delaware, georgia, hawaii, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new jersey, new york, north carolina, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, south dakota, virginia, washington, west virginia, and wisconsin. florida is filing its own federal lawsuit in the u.s. district court for the middle district of florida. filing lawsuits in their own state courts are the district of columbia, massachusetts, mississippi, new hampshire, oklahoma, tennessee, utah, and vermont. ### media contact: lawrence pacheco chief communications officer (720) 508 6553 office | (720) 245 4689 cell lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov feb. 7, 2025 (denver) attorney general phil weiser today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit (pdf download) against the trump administration to stop the unauthorized disclosure of americans’ private information and sensitive data. the lawsuit asserts […] feb. 7, 2025 (denver)   colorado attorney general phil weiser today joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a motion to enforce and a motion for preliminary injunction in new york v. trump, the ongoing lawsuit challenging actions by president trump, the […] feb. 6, 2025 (denver)   attorney general phil weiser today joined a coalition of attorneys general in releasing the following statement in response to the u.s. department of the treasury granting elon musk and his so called “department of government efficiency” […] office of the attorney general colorado department of law ralph l. carr judicial building 1300 broadway, 10th floor denver, co 80203 (720) 508 6000 contact the office of the attorney general contact accessibility statement accessibility tools

markets hot stocks fear & greed index latest market news hot stocks a bipartisan group of 10 state attorneys general have launched an investigation into meta, the social media company formerly known as facebook, focused on the potential harms of its instagram platform on children and teens. the announcement follows extensive reporting on a trove of internal documents leaked by whistleblower frances haugen. some of those documents show that the company’s own researchers have found that instagram can damage young users’ mental health and body image, and can exacerbate dangerous behaviors such as eating disorders. the attorneys general say they will look into whether, by continuing to provide and promote instagram despite knowing of the potential harms, meta violated consumer protection laws and “put the public at risk.” the states involved include california, florida, kentucky 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, who is co leading the investigation, said in a statement. she added that the coalition hopes to “get to the bottom of this company’s engagement with young users, identify any unlawful practices, and end these abuses for good.” meta spokesperson andy stone said in a statement that the allegations made by the attorneys general are false and said they “demonstrate a deep misunderstanding of the facts.” he also noted that the company plans to launch features to help teens regulate their use of instagram, such as a “take a break” reminder, which was announced in october amid intense scrutiny. “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,” the statement reads. “we continue to develop parental supervision controls and are exploring ways to provide even more age appropriate experiences for teens by default.” related article senator calls on facebook ceo mark zuckerberg to testify about instagram and kids the investigation is the latest escalation of regulatory pressure on meta related to findings from the leaked internal documents, which have come to be known as the facebook papers. earlier this week, ohio attorney general dave yost filed a lawsuit against the company alleging that it misled the public about its algorithm and the harms its apps can cause to users, causing losses for shareholders when those things were revealed. (meta says the suit is without merit.) senator richard blumenthal has also asked meta ceo mark zuckerberg to testify about the effects of instagram on children. the wall street journal first reported in september on what the company’s own documents and research show about the potential harms to young people from its apps, and said facebook knew instagram was “toxic” for teen girls. in one internal report from 2019 on the mental health effects of instagram cited by the journal and reviewed by cnn business, company researchers said “we make body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teen girls.” meta has also pushed back on the journal’s reporting, and said its apps do more good than harm. following the journal’s report, a senate subcommittee called a hearing with facebook head of global safety antigone davis, where lawmakers grilled her on instagram’s effects on kids. davis said the company was “looking for ways to release more research” that she suggested might paint a different picture about the platform. haugen has also testified to lawmakers that she believes meta’s platforms “harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.” the company announced it was pausing plans to develop a version of instagram designed for kids in late september, amid the fallout from the journal report. “while we stand by the need to develop this experience, we’ve decided to pause this project,” adam mosseri, head of instagram, wrote in a blog post at the time. “this will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today.” most stock quote data provided by bats. us market indices are shown in real time, except for the s&p 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. all times are et. factset: factset research systems inc. all rights reserved. chicago mercantile: certain market data is the property of chicago mercantile exchange inc. and its licensors. all rights reserved. dow jones: the dow jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by dji opco, a subsidiary of s&p dow jones indices llc and have been licensed for use to s&p opco, llc and cnn. standard & poor’s and s&p are registered trademarks of standard & poor’s financial services llc and dow jones is a registered trademark of dow jones trademark holdings llc. all content of the dow jones branded indices copyright s&p dow jones indices llc and/or its affiliates. fair value provided by indexarb.com. market holidays and trading hours provided by copp clark limited. © 2025 cable news network. a warner bros. discovery company. all rights reserved. cnn sans ™ & © 2016 cable news network.

state of new jersey | department of law & public safety by njoag communications wc | oct 24, 2023 | arizona | california | children’s online privacy protection act (coppa) | colorado | connecticut | consumer fraud | consumer fraud act (cfa) | deceptive trade | delaware | facebook | federal court | florida | georgia | harms to youth | hawaii | idaho | illinois | indiana | instagram | joint complaint | kansas | kentucky | lawsuit | louisiana | maine | maryland | massachusetts | meta | michigan | minnesota | mississippi | missouri | multistate | nebraska | negligence | new hampshire | new jersey | new york | north carolina | north dakota | ohio | oklahoma | oregon | pennsylvania | physical and mental health | product liability | public nuisance claims | rhode island | social media | south carolina | south dakota | tennessee | the district of columbia | unjust enrichment | unlawful trade | utah | vermont | virginia | washington | west virginia | wisconsin | youth mental health crisis | behavioral health | child protection | division of consumer affairs | division of law | mental health | press release | protecting new jersey in court | company falsely assured the public that features were safe for young users office of the attorney general  matthew j. platkin, attorney generaldivision of consumer affairs  cari fais, acting directordivision of law  michael t.g. long, director media inquiries allison inserro, oagpress@njoag.gov view complaint | view video trenton   attorney general matthew j. platkin and the division of consumer affairs announced today that they, along with 41 other attorneys general throughout the country, sued meta in federal and state courts alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on instagram and facebook to purposefully addict children and teens. at the same time, meta falsely assured the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users. new jersey and 32 other states filed a joint complaint in federal court asserting that meta’s business practices violate the federal children’s online privacy protection act (coppa), as well as other state consumer protection laws, including the new jersey consumer fraud act (cfa). eight other states filed similar actions in state courts. these practices have harmed and continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens fueling what the u.s. surgeon general has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” that has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people. “as new jersey’s chief law enforcement officer and as a parent, i feel strongly that there is nothing more important than ensuring the well being of our children. and we know that in the era of social media, their mental health has never been more at risk,” said attorney general platkin. “that is why today, i join dozens of other attorneys general to once and for all hold meta and its ceo, mark zuckerberg, accountable for deceptive, manipulative practices on instagram and facebook that they knew were harmful. profits   not people, not its most vulnerable users, children and teens   drive the decision making at meta. that stops today.” “meta knows its platforms are harming children and teens, but continues to make every effort to keep kids addicted without even attempting to abide by federal laws meant to protect the most vulnerable,” said cari fais, acting director of the division of consumer affairs. new jersey began investigating meta in 2020 and has co led the nationwide investigation since 2021, spending thousands of hours investigating meta’s unlawful conduct. the federal complaint, filed in the u.s. district court for the northern district of california, alleges that meta knew that its platforms, including facebook and instagram, were harming young people. instead of taking steps to mitigate the psychological and health harms associated with use of its platforms, meta not only concealed these harms but also amplified them by employing features that fueled young users’ addiction to its platforms. the complaint further alleges that meta knew that young users, including those under 13, were active on the platforms, and knowingly collected data from these users without the parental consent that is required by federal law. it targeted these young users because, as reported in a 2021 wall street journal article, this user base was “valuable, but untapped.” at the same time, however, the company disavowed interest in this demographic, publicly stating that it did not allow kids under 13 on its platforms. while much of the complaint relies on confidential material that is not yet available to the public, publicly available sources, including those previously released by former meta employees, detail how meta profited by purposely making its platforms addictive to children and teens. its platform algorithms push users to descend into “rabbit holes” in an effort to maximize engagement. features like infinite scroll and near constant alerts were created with the express goal of hooking young users. these manipulative tactics continually lure children and teens back onto the platform. as aza raskin, the original developer of the infinite scroll concept, noted to the bbc about the feature’s addictive qualities: “if you don’t give your brain time to catch up with your impulses … you just keep scrolling.” meta knew these addictive features harmed young people’s physical and mental health, including undermining their ability to get adequate sleep, but did not disclose or meaningfully try to minimize the harm. instead, it claimed the platforms were safe for young users. these choices, the complaint alleges, violate state consumer protection laws, including the cfa and coppa. the federal complaint seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the harms caused by these platforms. the multistate coalition that brought today’s complaint is also investigating tiktok for similar conduct. that investigation remains ongoing, and states have pushed for adequate disclosure of information and documents in litigation related to tiktok’s failure to provide adequate discovery in response to the multistate’s requests. states joining the federal lawsuit are arizona, california, colorado, connecticut, delaware, georgia, hawaii, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, louisiana, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new jersey, new york, north carolina, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, south dakota, virginia, washington, west virginia, and wisconsin. florida is filing its own federal lawsuit in the u.s. district court for the middle district of florida. filing lawsuits in their own state courts are the district of columbia, massachusetts, mississippi, new hampshire, oklahoma, tennessee, utah, and vermont, alleging the company violated numerous state laws, including deceptive trade, consumer fraud, unlawful trade, unjust enrichment, negligence, product liability, and public nuisance claims. assistant section chief thomas huynh, deputy attorneys general gina pittore, mandy wang, and cody valdez, legal specialist ethan rubin, and law clerk alan leal, under the supervision of data privacy & cybersecurity section chief kashif t. chand, assistant attorney general jennifer s. schiefelbein, and deputy director jason w. rockwell within the division of law’s affirmative civil enforcement practice group, and senior counsel daniela l. nogueira within the office of the attorney general, are representing the state in the matter. investigator aziza salikhova of the office of consumer protection within the division of consumer affairs conducted the investigation. ###

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"this is a tough time in america," tennessee attorney general jonathan skrmetti said at a press conference after the lawsuit was filed. "we have polarization the likes of which we have not seen since the civil war. and so for all of the attorneys general from both parties, people who frequently disagree very vocally and very publicly, to all come together and to move in the same direction, i think that says something." "this is not an action we take lightly," colorado ag phil weiser said at the press conference. "this is not a case that we know is going to be decided very quickly. but it's of the utmost importance. that's why we dedicated level resources of the state agencies brought together here addressing issues that are top of our national agenda." it's not the first time a broad coalition of state attorneys general have teamed up to go after meta. in 2020, 48 states and territories sued the company on antitrust grounds, alongside a separate complaint from the federal trade commission. meta designed its facebook and instagram products to keep young users on them for longer and repeatedly coming back, the attorneys general allege. according to the federal complaint, meta did this via the design of its algorithms, copious alerts, notifications and so called infinite scroll through platform feeds. the company also includes features that the ags allege negatively impact teens' mental health through social comparison or promoting body dysmorphia, such as "likes" or photo filters. the federal suit also accuses meta of violating the children's online privacy protection act, or coppa, by collecting personal data on users under 13 without parental consent. the states are seeking an end to what they see as meta's harmful practices, as well as penalties and restitution. meta was well aware of the negative effects its design could have on its young users, the attorneys general allege. "while meta has publicly denied and downplayed these harmful effects, it cannot credibly plead ignorance," james' office wrote in a press release. "meta's own internal research documents show its awareness that its products harm young users. indeed, internal studies that meta commissioned   and kept private until they were leaked by a whistleblower and publicly reported   reveal that meta has known for years about these serious harms associated with young users' time spent on its platforms." former facebook employee frances haugen caused an uproar among lawmakers and parents in 2021 after leaking internal documents from the company that revealed internal research on its products. one set of documents about instagram's impact on teens found that "thirty two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, instagram made them feel worse," the wall street journal reported before haugen made her identity known. following the report, instagram said it was working on ways to pull users away from dwelling on negative topics. "it should have been the practice of meta to alert people that they were dealing with a dangerous, potentially addictive product before they started using it," district of columbia attorney general brian schwalb told cnbc in a phone interview. schwalb is among the attorneys general who filed an individual suit against meta alleging it violated the district's consumer protection law. "we share the attorneys general's commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families," meta spokesperson andy stone said in a statement. "we're disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path." several of the practices the attorneys general focus on for meta are similar to those exercised by other social media businesses, such as designing algorithms to keep users engaged. skrmetti told reporters that the meta lawsuits are just one part of "an industry wide investigation." "this is not just about meta, but as one of the biggest players and as an entity where there's clear evidence of misleading the public and making deliberate decisions that hurt kids, i think it's appropriate that we lead off with this particular lawsuit," he said. last year, a bipartisan group of state ags said they are investigating tiktok over similar child online safety concerns. skrmetti said that the multistate lawsuit against meta could be "a vehicle for settlement talks across the industry"   or, he added, "it could take individual litigation driving each company into good behavior over time." schwalb said that while he doesn't think meta is the only company trying to keep users' attention with its features, "they do it very, very effectively and to the great detriment of millions of young people and tens of thousands of young people here in the district." "all human beings are susceptible to fomo," schwalb said, referring to the fear of missing out. "but particularly 12  to 14 , 15 , 16 year old kids. they're the ones who are really worried about missing out. all of that is part of the built in dna that meta uses to keep people hooked." the broad coalition of bipartisan attorneys general underscores the wide ranging interest from law enforcers on both sides of the aisle in consumer protection issues like this one. president joe biden has also made it a point to discuss the priority of protecting kids' safety and mental health online in his state of the union. "i think when you find an issue like this, it's a good opportunity for ags to link arms across party [lines] to try to make america a safer place," schwalb said. watch: jim cramer breaks down his thoughts on meta's performance in last year don't miss these cnbc pro stories: got a confidential news tip? we want to hear from you. sign up for free newsletters and get more cnbc delivered to your inbox get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services. © 2025 cnbc llc. all rights reserved. a division of nbcuniversal data is a real time snapshot *data is delayed at least 15 minutes. global business and financial news, stock quotes, and market data and analysis. data also provided by
the c.e.o. and his team drove meta’s efforts to capture young users and misled the public about the risks, lawsuits by state attorneys general say. credit...illustration by pablo delcan; photograph by kenny holston/the new york times supported by by natasha singer natasha singer, who covers children’s online privacy, reviewed several thousand pages of legal filings in states’ lawsuits against meta for this article. in april 2019, david ginsberg, a meta executive, emailed his boss, mark zuckerberg, with a proposal to research and reduce loneliness and compulsive use on instagram and facebook. in the email, mr. ginsberg noted that the company faced scrutiny for its products’ impacts “especially around areas of problematic use/addiction and teens.” he asked mr. zuckerberg for 24 engineers, researchers and other staff, saying instagram had a “deficit” on such issues. a week later, susan li, now the company’s chief financial officer, informed mr. ginsberg that the project was “not funded” because of staffing constraints. adam mosseri, instagram’s head, ultimately declined to finance the project, too. unfortunately i don’t see us funding this from instagram any time soon. the email exchanges are just one slice of evidence cited among more than a dozen lawsuits filed since last year by the attorneys general of 45 states and the district of columbia. the states accuse meta of unfairly ensnaring teenagers and children on instagram and facebook while deceiving the public about the hazards. using a coordinated legal approach reminiscent of the government’s pursuit of big tobacco in the 1990s, the attorneys general seek to compel meta to bolster protections for minors. a new york times analysis of the states’ court filings   including roughly 1,400 pages of company documents and correspondence filed as evidence by the state of tennessee   shows how mr. zuckerberg and other meta leaders repeatedly promoted the safety of the company’s platforms, playing down risks to young people, even as they rejected employee pleas to bolster youth guardrails and hire additional staff.

new york   new york attorney general letitia james and a bipartisan coalition of 32 attorneys general today filed a federal lawsuit against meta for harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. the lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on instagram, facebook, and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. filed in the u.s. district court for the northern district of california, the lawsuit also charges that meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without informing parents or obtaining parental consent, in violation of federal law. in coordination with attorney general james and the coalition of 32 attorneys general, nine additional attorneys general are filing lawsuits in their respective states, bringing the total number of attorneys general taking action against meta to 42. today’s lawsuit follows the recent announcement of state level legislation proposed by attorney general james and colleagues to protect children online. “kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like meta are to blame,” said attorney general james. “meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self esteem. social media companies, including meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable.