The big online platform company Meta is being sued by dozens of states such as California and New York, due to the platforms being addictive and harmful to childrens’ mental health. A lawsuit (People of the State of California v. Meta Platforms, Inc.) was filed by 41 states and Washington D.C. in federal court located in California. 

The states are claiming that “Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, violation of federal law,” according to an Associated Press article.

“‘Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,’” the complaint says. “‘It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.’”