Meta Tells White Lies About Its Addictive Features to Parents, Lawmakers and Users

B. Meta falsely represents that its Social Media Platform features are safe and not designed to induce young users’ compulsive and extended use.

117. Meta has misrepresented the impact of the features used by its Social Media Platforms that drive young users to spend extended time on the Platforms.

118. While Meta consistently reassures 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 it knows induce young users’ extended, addictive, and compulsive social media use. These features include:

• Algorithmic recommendation and sequencing;

• Public display and quantification of engagement metrics such as Likes;

• Face and body image manipulation filters;

• Disruptive audiovisual and haptic alerts;

• Infinite scroll and autoplay formats;

• Permitting and encouraging users to create multiple accounts; and

• “Ephemeral” presentation of social content.

119. [Redacted] Instagram had the potential to positively affect its users by providing, among other things, a positive community and connection with others who shared identities, abilities, and interests—including isolated youth in marginalized racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities.[8] [Redacted]

[8] See Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory 6, Dept. Health & Human Servs. (2023) (“[S]tudies have shown that social media may support the mental health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, queer, intersex and other youths by enabling peer connection, identity development and management, and social support.”), http://archive.today/QAytZ.