A Group Of US Attorneys General Question The Safety Of Instagram For Teenagers

Image Credit: Katka Pavlicovka / Unsplash

JAKARTA - Instagram's parent company, Meta is again confronted by a group of state attorneys general in the United States (US) who are conducting an investigation into the social media giant.

The investigation, dubbed Nebraska AG, focused on the techniques used by Meta to increase the frequency, duration of teen engagement on Instagram, and the possible negative effects. The group of prosecutors included officials from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Vermont.

This investigation follows a recent report that revealed that Meta's own internal research document entitled "Toxic Instagram for Teen Girls" which was successfully disclosed by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) showed that Instagram is associated with an increased risk of physical and mental health hazards in young people, including depression, eating disorders, even suicide.

"Meta failed to protect young people on its platform and instead chose to ignore or, in some cases, duplicate known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health, exploiting children for profit," said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who led the investigative effort with Nebraska's AG.

Soon the documents were revealed, then discussed in a Senate hearing, where whistleblower and former Facebook employee, Frances Haugen said that the company is unlikely to change its habit of placing profits above the welfare of the people.

Citing The Verge, Saturday, November 20, later, a Nebraska AG investigation will look into whether the company violated consumer protection laws in its efforts to keep people engaged with content on Instagram.

"This coalition will expose these companies' involvement with young users, identify unlawful practices, and end these abuses once and for all," Healey said.

This group of attorneys general is not the only one taking action against Meta, recently the attorney general in Ohio also sued the company, accusing Meta of misleading the public about the effects of its products on children.

However, Meta evaded by declaring the lawsuit "baseless" and rejecting reports from news outlets such as WSJ, alleging the published research lacks context.