A coalition of state attorneys general launched an investigation into Instagram’s parent company Meta Inc., formerly known as Facebook, for its potentially harmful psychological effects on young children.
In a statement released Thursday, the group of eight attorneys general said they are “examining the company's conduct and whether Meta or others violated the law or put the public at risk.”
“For too long, Meta has ignored the havoc that Instagram is wreaking on the mental health and well-being of our children and teens,” California attorney general Rob Bonta wrote in a statement. “Enough is enough. We’ve undertaken this nationwide investigation to get answers about Meta’s efforts to promote the use of this social media platform to young Californians – and to determine if, in doing so, Meta violated the law.”
Leading the coalition are attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont.
The investigation comes in the wake of several high-profile reports and hearings about the inner workings of Meta Inc., many of which alleged that Instagram’s parent company knowingly put profits over the wellbeing of platform users.
The first such report came from the Wall Street Journal, which in September published a series of articles claiming executives at Instagram were aware that the platform was negatively impacting young users.
The article alleged that numerous internal reports found Instagram was “harmful for a sizable percentage of [users], most notably teenage girls.”
The WSJ reports led Instagram to shutter — at least temporarily — its already heavily-criticized plan to roll out Instagram Kids. At the time, the company said the pause would offer “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.”
But Meta Inc.’s credibility was dealt yet another blow with the recent Congressional testimony of whistleblower Frances Haugen and subsequent release of the “Facebook Papers,” a collaboration among 17 American news organizations that worked to gain access to thousands of pages of internal company documents obtained by Haugen.
The papers themselves were redacted versions of disclosures that Haugen made over several months to the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging Facebook (now Meta Inc.) was prioritizing profits over safety and hiding its own research from investors and the public.
The complaints cover a range of topics, from its efforts to continue growing its audience, to how its platforms might harm children, to its alleged role in inciting political violence. The same redacted versions of those filings were provided to members of Congress as part of its investigation.
The investigation by the state attorneys general targets, among other things, the techniques Meta uses to keep young people on its platforms — and the harms that extended time spent on Instagram can cause.
In a statement, Meta spokesperson Liza Crenshaw called the accusations “false” and said they demonstrate “a deep misunderstanding of the facts.”
“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,” Crenshaw said in the statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.