Attorneys General in Eight States Investigate Effects of Instagram on Teens

A group of state attorneys general has opened an investigation into the social network Instagram about its effects on children and adolescents, alleging that its parent company - Meta, formerly known as Facebook - ignored an internal investigation into the dangers to physical and mental health that it supposed its use for the youngest.

The process is led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont. 

This investigation follows the line of journalistic reports that are very critical of the company.

The first to be known was that of The Wall Street Journal, which found that the company was aware of the damage that Instagram can cause to adolescents, especially women, in relation to mental health and body image problems.

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Following those first reports, a consortium of news organizations, including The Associated Press news agency, published their own findings based on documents leaked by a former employee, Frances Haugen, who has testified before Congress and a British parliamentary committee.

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"For too long, Meta has ignored the havoc Instagram is wreaking on the mental health and well-being of our children and teens," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

"It's enough.

We have undertaken this investigation at the national level to obtain answers about Meta's efforts to promote the use of this social media platform among young people, and to determine if, in doing so, it violated the law. "

The investigation focuses, among other things, on the techniques the company uses to keep young people on its platforms, and the damage that prolonged time on Instagram can cause.

Former Facebook worker Frances Haugen is preparing to testify in a congressional committee on the tech giant's practices in October 2021.Jabin Botsford / AP

Meta spokeswoman Liza Crenshaw called the allegations "false" and said in a statement that they demonstrate "a profound misunderstanding of the facts."

"While the challenges in protecting youth online affect the entire industry, we have led the fight against bullying and supporting people who struggle with suicidal thoughts, self-harm and eating disorders," said Crenshaw.

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The state investigations come after it was announced Monday that Ohio's largest public employee pension fund had sued Meta, alleging it had violated federal securities law by deliberately misleading the public about the negative effects of its platforms. social networks and the algorithms that drive them.

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The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System lawsuit claims Facebook hid inconvenient findings about how the company has managed those algorithms, as well as the steps it said it was taking to protect the public.