A slew of complaints filed on Tuesday in districts around the country have accused Meta Platforms Inc. and its subsidiaries of prioritizing profit over user well-being to the detriment of their most vulnerable users, adolescents. An exemplary lawsuit filed in federal court in Illinois states claims for product liability and negligence claiming that Meta’s defectively designed social media products are not safe for ordinary consumers and minors in particular.
The 96-page complaint explains the context of the complaint, including the “largely unregulated universe of digital public spaces” and the purported tension between what is best for technology companies’ bottom lines and for the individual user and for society. It points to evidence that in recent years, social media has had a disparate impact on the mental health of adolescents.
Documented ills that social media purportedly contributes to include cyberbullying, obesity and eating disorders, sleep deprivation to achieve lengthy platform engagement, negative self-image, and has been connected to depression, anxiety, and self-harm including suicide.
The lawsuit explains that social media titan Meta operates two particularly problematic platforms: Facebook and Instagram, which together boast more than two billion combined users worldwide. It says that the parent company knowingly exploits children using algorithms to maximize “time spent, not time well spent.”
It further claims that Facebook knows about its minor users’ excessive and problematic use of its platforms, in part pointing to information that came to light through whistleblower Frances Haugen’s testimony, and yet has only modified its products for the worse.
The complaint states claims for strict liability based on Meta’s defective design of its social media products, alleging that it is technologically feasible to design far less harmful products. It also states a claim for failure to warn minors and their parents of the social, emotional, and physical harms its platforms pose. Common law negligence and attractive nuisance are also listed as causes of action.
The individual plaintiff seeks injunctive relief mandating that the company change its ways and other relief, including damages to compensate for injuries including, physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and expenses for hospitalizations and treatment.
Meyers & Flowers LLC and Beasley Allen Crow Methvin Portis & Miles LLC represent the plaintiff in the Illinois action.
