Instagram Under Probe by US State Attorney Generals Over Its impact on Children

A group of state attorneys general is investigating Instagram and its effects on children and young adults, alleging that its parent company Facebook — now known as Meta Platforms — ignored internal research about the physical and mental health risks it posed to young people.

A bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont is leading the investigation. It comes on the heels of damning newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal, based on the company’s own research, which found that the company was aware of the harms Instagram can cause teenagers, particularly teen girls, in terms of mental health and body image issues.

Since those initial reports, a group of news organizations, including The Associated Press, have published their own findings based on leaked documents from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who has testified about what she discovered before Congress and a British parliamentary committee.

“For far too long, Meta has ignored the havoc that Instagram is wreaking on our children and teens’ mental health and well-being,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Enough already. We’ve launched this nationwide investigation to learn more about Meta’s efforts to promote the use of this social media platform among young Californians – and to determine whether Meta violated the law in doing so.”

The investigation focuses on, among other things, the techniques Meta employs to keep young people on its platforms — as well as the harms that excessive Instagram use can cause.

Meta spokesperson Liza Crenshaw called the accusations “false” and demonstrated a “deep misunderstanding of the facts” in a statement.

“While challenges in protecting young people online affect the entire industry,” Crenshaw said in a statement. “We’ve led the industry in combating bullying and supporting people struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-injury, and eating disorders.”

The state investigations follow the announcement on Monday that Meta had been sued by Ohio’s largest public employee pension fund, alleging that it violated federal securities law by purposefully misleading the public about the negative effects of its social platforms and the algorithms that run them.

“While challenges in protecting young people online affect the entire industry,” Crenshaw said in a statement. “We’ve led the industry in combating bullying and supporting people struggling with suicidal thoughts, self-injury, and eating disorders.”

The state investigations follow the announcement on Monday that Meta had been sued by Ohio’s largest public employee pension fund, alleging that it violated federal securities law by purposefully misleading the public about the negative effects of its social platforms and the algorithms that run them.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, Facebook buried inconvenient findings about how the company managed those algorithms, as well as the steps it claimed it was taking to protect the public.