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More than half of US States sue Meta over addictive design practices
As over half of US States take Meta to court, evidence is mounting that Instagram and Facebook weren’t just careless with children’s safety but deliberately designed to be addictive.
For years, Meta told parents its platforms were built with children’s wellbeing in mind, while designing almost every feature to keep users scrolling. Now, more than half of all US States are taking the company to court arguing that they have intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram with addictive design features that harm children.
“Meta designed a dangerous product for young users, knew it to be dangerous, and then lied to children, families and the community about how dangerous it was,” said Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, one of the States leading the trial that just began yesterday.
5Rights has spent over a decade documenting this pattern and building a body of evidence to show that children’s online experiences are shaped by systems designed to maximise engagement and business profits at the expense of their rights and wellbeing. In our most recent study about Instagram, we found that within days of creating an account, the algorithm starts serving children inappropriate AI-generated content, from extreme fat loss to sexual content. With these platforms designed to encourage additive use, a recent survey published by 5Rights’ joint research centre with the London School of Economics, the Digital Futures for Children centre, found that more than 60% of children are worried about their screen time.
If the States succeed, this trial could mark a major shift: platforms that currently profit from keeping kids hooked would be incentivised to redesign their products or face further penalties, changing significantly how children and young people experience the online world. The Attorney Generals are demanding Meta to make systemic changes to the product itself:
- Overhaul their recommender system;
- Remove image filters that alter children’s appearance;
- End addictive design features like autoplay and ephemeral features like Stories that make it hard for children to log off;
- Prohibit the creation of multiple accounts;
- Establish a parental verification process for teen users.
A Spokesperson for 5Rights Foundation said,
“Addictive feeds, recommendation systems pushing children towards unsuitable content, or unsolicited adult-to-child contact: none of these features are accidental; all were deliberately deployed to generate revenue. But they are not inevitable or unfixable.
“The message to social media companies, game developers, and AI platforms must be clear: the cost of non-compliance is greater than the cost of making your product safe. Ultimately, we need products to be certified safe before they are allowed to reach children.
This trial, alongside recent verdicts in California and New Mexico, is proof that the tide is turning on the attention economy. But lawsuits like this can only change the practices of tech companies if they are backed by clear rules that are consistently and meaningfully enforced, with penalties large enough to impact their bottom line. Now it’s up to governments and regulators to follow suit and ensure that tech companies understand that the cost of non-compliance is greater than the cost of certifying their products as safe before they reach children.
