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Whistleblower Haugen
Photo: Virginia Mayo / AP
After the serious allegations of the whistleblower Frances Haugen, several US states have launched an investigation into the possible harmful effects of the Instagram online platform on children and adolescents.
Massachusetts state attorney general Maura Healey said Thursday that Instagram parent company Facebook, now renamed Meta, had knowingly exposed young users to potential health hazards for the benefit of their own profits.
"Facebook, now Meta, has not protected young people on its platforms, but instead ignored or in some cases intensified known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health," Healey said.
The online giant knew about these risks.
Children were thus "exploited in the interests of profit."
Healey and the attorneys general of Florida, California, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont are now investigating whether the company has violated state consumer protection laws.
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In the past few months, Facebook had come under massive pressure due to revelations based on documents and statements by its former colleague Haugen.
Accordingly, the company knew, among other things, that the Instagram photo platform can damage the mental health of girls and, for example, promote eating disorders and depression.
The Internet company founded by Mark Zuckerberg has decidedly rejected the allegations.
The Facebook group changed its name to Meta at the end of October.
The Facebook platform itself keeps its name.
nck / AFP