“Exploitation of children for profit”: 8 lawsuits against Facebook

Eight lawsuits have been filed in states alleging Facebook platforms are harmful to youth’s health. One lawyer said: “The defendants knew that their products and related services were dangerous to children and could be easily influenced by children and teenagers, but they completely ignored their own information. They implemented sophisticated algorithms designed to encourage frequent access to the platform and prolonged exposure to malicious content. ”

Mashable reports that law firm Beasley Allen has sued Facebook (now known as Meta) with eight lawsuits alleging that the company’s Facebook and Instagram platforms are harmful to the mental health of young people. The law firm issued a statement stating that Meta is not only “exploiting youth for profit” but actively trying to make their platform as psychologically challenging as possible and failing to protect its users.

In October 2021, the firm leaked documents saying leftist “whistleblower” Frances Haugen discussed the platform’s impact on teen users, and that the company knew it was “Toxic” for teenage girls.

Andy Burchfield, Beasley Allen’s attorney, said in a statement: “Defendants knew that their products and related services were dangerous to children and could easily affect children and teenagers, but they completely ignored their own information. They implemented sophisticated algorithms designed to encourage frequent access to the platform and prolonged exposure to malicious content. ”

Burchfield added that Facebook leadership has made a proactive decision to “push aggressively dependent youth on behalf of company profits” rather than trying to minimize the harm caused by the platforms. The issues listed in the lawsuit include a range of mental health issues including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm and even suicide attempts.

Earlier this month, Breitbart News reported that a family filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California this week, accusing Facebook and Instagram of causing eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal thoughts in their children.