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SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah filed a second civil lawsuit against a major social media platform Tuesday, joining with dozens of others states alleging that Meta Platforms Inc. has contributed to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing Instagram and Facebook features that addict children to its platforms.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean Reyes announced the lawsuit filed in Utah's 3rd District Court, after 33 states filed a similar complaint in federal court in California. Reyes is one of nine attorneys general filing a lawsuit in state courts, bringing the total number of states taking action to 42.
"Just as litigation effectively spurred change by the opioid pharmaceutical industry and Big Tobacco, we expect this lawsuit will inspire Meta to improve its child safety practices," Cox said in a statement. "Regulating social media companies to protect minors is not a partisan issue, and most people across the political spectrum agree we cannot allow addictive algorithms and deceptive practices to continue harming our children. This action shows we will continue to fight for the mental health and well-being of our kids."
The 62-page complaint — filed by the Utah Division of Consumer Protection — argues Meta has developed sophisticated software on its platforms to keep young users coming back to the site, and says the company has deceived parents about the risks of the platform to children.
"Every burgeoning industry has a moment where they have to recognize the power they possess," Reyes said in a statement. "We are now seeing a generation that hasn't known life without Meta's products. With that growth comes a responsibility to protect our values and communities, particularly our kids. This lawsuit is a first step towards putting guardrails around a company that is in our homes, our schools, and our neighborhoods. I invite Meta to the table to right past wrongs and to take meaningful steps forward."
In a statement to KSL.com, a Meta spokesperson said the company shares "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."
The lawsuit lays out how Meta's business model — which relies not on user fees but on collecting user data — essentially makes the user the product by targeting advertising.
Young users are more susceptible to features designed to keep them on the platform because their brains are still developing, the lawsuit states. Those addictive features include "dopamine-manipulating personalization algorithms," "audiovisual and haptic alerts," as well as "infinite scroll" feeds, autoplay videos and short-form videos called "'Reels,' designed to discourage children's attempts to self-regulate and disengage with Meta's products."
"The strategy, and ultimate goal, is to make more money; as a result, Meta disregards children's health and well-being," the complaint states.
The short-form videos are reminiscent of videos popularized by the social media platform TikTok, which was the target of a similar state lawsuit filed Oct. 10. State officials have said the state continues to consider other paths of action against social media platforms.
The lawsuit references a growing body of research linking a decade-long decline in youth mental health with social media use, which Cox has often cited as evidence supporting the state's newly enacted Social Media Regulation Act, which establishes certain protections for minors and prevents minors from creating accounts without parental consent.
However, the issue isn't fully settled, as the American Psychological Association in May released an advisory on the subject which stated that "using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people."
Nonetheless, social media regulations have emerged as a rare point of bipartisan focus in recent months, as several other states have considered legislation similar to Utah's first-in-the-nation effort.
The lawsuit seeks to temporarily or permanently halt Meta from employing the features alleged in the complaint and asks the court to force the company to pay restitution for the harms.
