Michigan Attorney General Joins Investigation Of Instagram Over Luring Children
The Michigan Attorney General's office announced on Friday that they would be joining Attorneys General across the country in an investigation on whether or not Instagram illegally targeted children.
In a release from Attorney General Dana Nessel's Office, the state announced they are joining a bipartisan group of ten states that will be investigating Instagram's parent company, Meta (formerly Facebook), to see if they violated consumer protection laws by luring children to use the Instagram app.
Rebranding your company does not excuse you from accepting responsibility for the harm inflicted by your social media platform. As recent congressional testimony has shown us, Meta’s own internal data makes clear the negative impact social media has on users, especially our youth, while the company profits. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this investigation. Given it is newly launched and ongoing, I will not be discussing any specifics beyond this announcement. -Attorney General Dana Nessel
The investigation comes on the heels of information that shows that Instagram knew internally that the use of the app by kids negatively affected their mental health & body image. Even possibly exacerbating eating disorders in children and teens.
The app is also believed to cause increased anxiety from bullying that follows the students wherever they're on Social Media.
About the investigation from the State of Michigan:
The investigation targets, among other things, the techniques utilized by Meta to increase the frequency and duration of engagement by young users and the resulting harms caused by such extended engagement. Today’s announcement follows recent reports revealing that Meta’s own internal research shows that using Instagram is associated with increased risks of physical and mental health harms on young people, including depression, eating disorders, and even suicide.
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