Massachusetts is Suing Instagram – Here’s Why!
Massachusetts is one of 33 states binding together to sue Meta Platforms Inc, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing and implementing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. Attorneys general in 9 other states are filing in their respective states, which will bring the total number of states taking action to 42.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in California and makes additional claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without parents’ consent, which is in violation of federal law.
The suit comes after a bipartisan coalition of attorney generals from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont investigated the situation.
In addition to Facebook and Instagram, Meta is also the parent company of several other popular social media and communication apps, including Threads and WhatsApp.
The 33 states that filed the suit in California are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The additional suits filed in state courts were brought by the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.
The state of Florida has filed it’s own separate federal lawsuit against Meta, alleging that Meta misled users about potential health risks of its products.
What happens next? Well, we kick back, keep our eyes on the news, and wait and see…
So while Massachusetts sues Meta to protect the kids, let’s look at new rankings that are out showing which school districts in Massachusetts are doing the best job at filling their brains with important useable information instead of… all that Meta stuff.
Massachusetts School District Ranking: The Top 25 for 2023
