AG Moody files lawsuit against Meta, claiming Instagram and Facebook exploit kids

Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody is suing Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, citing its use of “addictive” features to collect information from children.

Florida isn’t alone in declaring legal action on Tuesday against the social media company. Meta also faces a joint complaint of similar nature from 33 states including neighboring Georgia and Louisiana. A federal court in California will handle that suit.

Moody filed the 38-page lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. In the complaint, Moody argues that auto-play features on videos and live streams encourage children to spend more time on Meta’s platforms. The use of those practices is a violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to the complaint.

“Meta has gone unchecked for too long, and our children are suffering the consequences of these unlawful practices,” Moody said in a press release. “Today, I took action to stop Meta from targeting minors with addictive features to keep them online for hours, collecting their data and other unlawful actions that harm teens’ mental health.”

Children’s privacy

Florida’s suit also alleges that Meta has failed to get parental consent from accounts started by children under 13 years old and that it does not clearly state what information it gathers from such accounts. Websites and other online services used by children must notify parents of data that will be collected from their child’s account, according to a privacy rule from the Federal Trade Commission.

“Despite Meta’s assurances to parents, lawmakers, and users that its Social Media Platforms are suitable for young users and designed to promote their well-being, it continues to develop and implement features that induce young users’ harmful, extended and compulsive social media use,” Moody wrote in the complaint.

The California suit also accuses Meta of breaking provisions of the FTC privacy rule. Both suits come two years after Florida co-lead an investigation into the platforms’ impact on children and teens, according to The Washington Post.

Moody also referenced in the complaint other lawsuits against Meta that came out of Florida. The Broward County School Board sued Meta in March, citing mental health problems of students in the district, according to the complaint.