Meta has been accused for its negligence to take any action against children misusing their platforms. Unsealed legal documents have revealed that the company has received over one million reports of users under the age of 13 on its social media platform Instagram since 2019. Since, Meta has only shut down a fraction of these accounts, reported the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
If proven, these allegations could result in millions of dollars being paid by the tech giant in the form of penalties.
These allegations are a part of a much larger lawsuit filed last month in California, Colorado and 31 other states in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The states have accused Meta of trapping children on Instagram and Facebook despite studies indicating the likely harms of social media of young and impressionable age groups. The lawsuit asks Meta to stop using certain features that are believed to no be on young users’ best interests.
Meta has not only ignored the usage of Instagram by those below the age of 13, but also continued to collect their personal information including locations and email addresses without parental consent, a violation federal children’s privacy law.
Company documents mentioned that multiple Meta officials agreed that the company designed products to exploit youthful traits such as impulsive behaviour, susceptibility, peer pressure and underestimation of risks.
Meta said in a statement that the complaint misrepresents its work over the past decade to make the online experience safe for teens. The company claimed that it doesn’t design products to specifically attract young users.
The Indian Government has also responded to the case saying that it wants to make all internet intermediaries, which included social media platforms, more accountable for the harm that they cause through their content to all users, specifically children.