PHOENIX — Arizona is joining a growing list of states suing the social media company Meta on grounds that the company developed "psychologically manipulative features" to hook kids and teens on its platforms, Attorney General Kris Mayes said Tuesday morning.
Mayes is one of 42 state attorneys general to file state and federal suits against the company. The federal complaint, joined by 33 states alleges that Meta knew of harmful impacts that their platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, had on children and teens.
RELATED: States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harming children's mental health
"To maximize their profits, Meta targeted young users calling them a 'valuable and untapped market' and then designed its platform to maximize the amount of time that children and young teens spend on those platforms," Mayes said in a press conference on Tuesday.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Arizona demanda a Facebook e Instagram por prácticas ‘adictivas’ para niños
She claimed that children and teens were exposed to harmful content such as suicide and self harm content, hate speech, bullying and solicitation. She also said that Meta was aware of these risks, but downplayed them on a national stage.
"If you talk to teachers, they will tell you that social media is one of the worst things that has happened to them as teachers, as schools," Mayes said of the wide-reaching mental health crisis in young people.
According to Mayes, features such as infinite scroll and frequent notifications hooked young users on these platforms.
Behavioral health experts say kids who spend more than three hours a day on social media are twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety.
“They’re constantly trying to figure out who they are in a world of comparison and that’s not healthy," evolvedMD Clinical Director Rebecca Duffy said.
Duffy told 12News social media can significantly impact a child's development and self-esteem.
“A serious problem and it gives people access to vulnerable folks and then bullying happens on those platforms and that was never the intention," Duffy said.
The suit alleges Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The federal complaint seeks injunctive and monetary relief to rectify the alleged harms caused by these platforms.
Mayes emphasized that the suit isn't aimed at getting rid of social media, but seeks to end addictive features.
A Meta spokesperson released the following statement:
"We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families. We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path."
You can read the full lawsuit below:
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