OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a lawsuit against Meta claiming they knowingly contributed to the youth mental health crisis through their social media app features.
Drummond filed an independent lawsuit on behalf of Oklahoma against the technology giant. 33 other states joined a California lawsuit with 8 filing independently according to Drummond.
The lawsuits are accusing Meta of creating and deploying harmful features in their apps that contribute to the mental health crisis.
Oklahoma's lawsuit claims Meta did not take appropriate steps to reduce harm toward users under 18.
Meta has fueled the youth mental health crisis we are facing by taking advantage of vulnerable children and teens with unfair and deceptive practices.
The company has enriched itself by pushing young social media users onto its platforms and then exploiting the vulnerabilities of children and teens to turn a profit.
The complaint alleges Meta's features such as push notifications, infinite scrolling and automatically playing reels are intended to hook in younger users.
Data acquired by Oklahoma officials show 80% of teenagers in the state use Instagram. Drummond said the lawsuit relies heavily on confidential materials and former Meta employee testimonies.
Scripps News reached out to Meta who released the following statement:
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.
AG Drummond said Meta's actions violate the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act.
He is seeking an injunction and monetary relief to make right the harms caused by the company's platforms.
Read the full lawsuit here.
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