Thirteen states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against on Tuesday, accusing the social media giant of intentionally hooking young children on short videos that increase their anxiety and depression. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and New York Attorney General Letitia James led a bipartisan coalition of top law enforcement officials in filing the complaints. The attorneys general filed lawsuits separately in their jurisdictions, seeking injunctions and a wide range of civil and punitive damages.
Officially, prohibits children under 13 from signing up for regular accounts and restricts content for all users under 18. But the lawsuits contend that children can and do easily bypass those restrictions, allowing them to access adult content as an algorithm floods them with addictive and dangerous videos young brains are unprepared to process. “Our investigation has revealed that cultivates social media addiction to boost corporate profits,” said Mr.
Bonta, a Democrat. “ intentionally targets children because they know kids do not yet have the defenses or capacity to create healthy boundaries around addictive content.” “ claims that their platform is safe for young people, but that is far from true,” added Ms.
James, also a Democrat. “In New York and across the country, young people have died or gotten injured doing dangerous challenges and many more are feeling more sad, anxious, and depressed because of addictive features.” The lawsuits noted a .
