In a shocking revelation, court documents have surfaced, accusing Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of intentionally engineering its social media platforms to captivate and hook children. The unsealed legal complaint, initially concealed from public view, alleges that Meta was aware of millions of complaints regarding underage users on Instagram but only took action on a fraction of those accounts. This bombshell comes from a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of 33 states in late October.

The Allegations

According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, the court documents reveal that Meta officials acknowledged deliberately exploiting psychological vulnerabilities in young users. The company supposedly designed its products to take advantage of traits such as impulsive behavior, susceptibility to peer pressure, and a tendency to underestimate risks. Shockingly, Facebook and Instagram, in violation of company policy, were found to be popular among children under the age of 13.

Meta’s Response

Meta responded to the allegations, insisting that the complaint misrepresents its decade-long efforts to enhance the safety of the online experience for teenagers. The company claimed to have implemented over 30 tools to support teen safety and emphasized the complexity of age verification as an industry challenge. Meta proposed shifting the responsibility of monitoring underage usage to app stores and parents, advocating for federal legislation requiring parental approval for app downloads by youths under 16.

Internal Struggles and Prioritization

The court documents highlighted internal conflicts within Meta, with one safety executive suggesting in a 2019 email that cracking down on younger users might negatively impact the company’s business. However, a year later, the same executive expressed frustration at Meta’s lack of enthusiasm for identifying and removing younger children from its platforms, despite actively studying underage user behavior for business purposes.

Backlog of Complaints

Perhaps most concerning is the revelation that Meta allegedly maintains a backlog of up to 2.5 million accounts of younger children awaiting action. This backlog raises serious questions about the company’s commitment to addressing the issue promptly and effectively.

Whether its algorithm can retain users without exploiting society’s most vulnerable members remains to be seen. For now, Meta remains predictably defiant, downplaying the allegations which it insists mischaracterize steps it has taken around youth safety.