Md., Del. Attorneys General announce lawsuit against Meta

DELMARVA – On Tuesday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced that their offices would be filing lawsuits against social media giant Meta.

In releases from their offices, they announced that the states have joined a coalition of attorneys general suing Meta in federal in state courts, claiming that the company knowingly designed and included features on their social media platforms that were designed to addict children and teens to the platforms.

“Our country is facing a huge mental health crisis. Fueled by young people’s dependence on and use of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, just like big tobacco did a generation ago. Meta has chosen to maximize its profits at the expense of public health,” said Maryland AG Brown.

The complaints claim that Meta was aware of the harmful impacts their platforms had on young people and that the company then misled the public about the harms that can come from their use, and that Meta’s business practices violated the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.