Dozens of states are suing Meta, alleging its platforms have "profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans," and the big tech juggernaut better take it seriously because "Facebook is really like the new tobacco," according to legal guru Danny Karon.
"It's designed to addict kids, to hook kids, to bring them in, to make them have no choice but to glom onto this platform where Facebook lets out dose after dose, drip after drip of this almost electronic morphine to keep kids hooked," Karon told Fox News Digital.
Karon, an attorney and law professor who specializes in class-action litigation, believes that Meta platforms including Facebook and Instagram have features such as the "endless scroll function" and "constant notifications" that are designed to keep people addicted.
"I mean, I got up this morning at 7 a.m., check my email and I check my Facebook feed, and I thought to myself, ‘Who cares what's going on with all these people?’ And I put it down, but kids can't do it," he said.
The 228-page complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California claims that Meta’s business model specifically targets young users, monetizing their attention through data harvesting and targeting advertising and deploying features to prolong their time on social media for profit. Karon refers to the parent company as Facebook because he feels "this Meta rebranding nonsense is just that -- nonsense," referring to the 2021 change.
"They’re not hiding behind Meta," he said.
Karon doesn’t believe Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is "black hearted" or wants to "ruin kids’ lives," but instead feels he simply wants to pad his wallet.
"He wants what every business wants. He wants money," Karon said.
The lawsuit alleges Meta "misled its users and the public by boasting a low prevalence of harmful content," while being "keenly aware" its platforms' features "cause young users significant physical and mental harm." Karon said the involved attorneys general have a few goals in mind.
"They want to get Facebook to stop doing this stuff, change the platform, the algorithm, the addictive platform, all this sort of stuff that hooks and corrupts kids leading to suicide, depression, lost sleep, bad grades, disassociation with friends and family, all these awful things," he said.
"One, they want one for Facebook to stop and make changes. And two, they sued claims under every state's consumer protection statute, and that's a statute in every state that says, ‘You know what, you got to be safe and right as concerned consumers in our states, we're going to fine you thousands and thousands of dollars per transaction, per click, per swipe, per user,’" Karon added. "It's going to be massive."
Meta, on the other hand, insists it is commitment to providing a safe platform to teenagers. Facebook’s parent also expressed disappointment with the lawsuit.
"We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families. We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path," a Meta spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
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The states signed onto the lawsuit include Arizona, California, 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. Others are expected to file similar lawsuits.
With dozens of states agreeing, Karon said it leads to the question of what law did Meta allegedly break?
"So, they sued for violation of the states’ consumer protection laws that allow for injunctive relief," he said. "But also, a federal claim under the… Children's Online Privacy Protection Act – COPPA."
"COPPA is the act that says, ‘Hey, listen, you can't monitor and track kids’ personal information if they're under 13, you can't do it,'" Karon said. "Well, Facebook not only was doing it, but they were peddling to kids under 13 claiming they weren't, yet they really were and when they were doing it, they're gathering all their data."
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Indeed, the lawsuit accuses Meta of marketing its social media platforms to children under age 13 and having actual knowledge that users under age 13 are on their platforms without seeking parental consent prior to collecting and monetizing their personal data. Meta "refuses to limit its collection and use of those children’s personal information as required by law," the lawsuit says.
"These kids are addicted, they're drawn in," Karon said. "It really is the drip, drip, drip where they can't shake the addiction. No worse than tobacco."
Fox Business’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
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