October 26, 2023 10:30 a.m.

This week Attorney General Ellen Roseblum filed suit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, among other brands.

A release from the Office of the Attorney General said the federal complaint, joined by 33 states and filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, asserts that Meta knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. All the while, 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. The release said that 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.

The full complaint and more information is linked: https://doj.state.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Meta-