Baptist Press: 42 states, D.C. sue Meta on accusations of harming children, teens

By Diana Chandler

Published October 25, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO (BP) — Meta’s social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram intentionally target children and teens with features that harm mental health, attorneys general in 42 states and Washington D.C. said in lawsuits Oct. 24.

A group of 33 states including California, New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois filed a federal lawsuit jointly in the Northern District of California, while nine states and Washington D.C. filed individually, according to press releases and court filings.

Depression, anxiety, insomnia, body dysmorphia, unhealthy prolonged use of sites, and interferences with education and daily life are alleged results of Meta’s manipulative algorithms and other features targeting youth as their brains are still developing.

Meta “has profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans,” the joint lawsuit alleges. “Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms.”

Southern Baptist educator and ethicist Jason Thacker said the lawsuits illustrate how society – including Christians – can jointly work to protect our children.

“If we have learned anything from the past few years, it is that social media and other technologies are not neutral tools but ones that are profoundly shaping every aspect of our society – including the lives of children and teenagers,” said Thacker, assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College, and a senior fellow at the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

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