Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has been a busy man since being elected in 2021 along with Governor Glenn Youngkin and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears. Much of his work has been geared toward children: fighting against mask mandates in schools when he first got into office, investigating the corrupt school boards in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties, and standing up for women's rights in sports.
On October 24, Miyares announced his next step to help protect children in Virginia and across America:
I’m suing social media giant Meta for fueling a youth mental health crisis in America. Meta deliberately prioritized profits over the safety of our children, refusing to take corrective action.
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) October 24, 2023
Meta knew.
Meta ignored it.
Meta will be held accountable.https://t.co/D9m9NtPups
Miyares isn't alone in this action. Thirty-two other states are also joining the lawsuit that claims Meta is harming the mental health of the youth in America. (Florida is not joining, but only because that state has filed its own separate, but similar, lawsuit.)
From NBC 12:
'We have a mental health crisis in our country. Everywhere I go, from Loudoun to Lee, Virginians agree that social media presents a new and unique danger to our children.'
'Users know that platforms like Instagram are addicting, especially to children. It’s obvious. But this addictive nature goes beyond just distracting our youth. It’s harmful, has real-world implications, and Meta has been flat-out disingenuous to the American people.'
[Miyares] compares Meta’s situation to big tobacco companies in the 70s and 80s, saying the company exploited the vulnerability of our youth at the expense of public health. He says this is where attorneys general across the country must step in.
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The main thrust of the federal lawsuit is the assertion that Meta routinely data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, which is a violation of federal law.
'Particularly young users suffered significant and extensive harms associated with addiction and compulsive use of the platforms, including anxiety,' Miyares said. 'They [Meta] knew about the depression. They knew about the negative social comparison.'
@JasonMiyaresVA has consistently been an advocate for children’s data privacy and their mental health including @BrewerForVa and @DRSuetterlein legislation killed by Senate Democrats https://t.co/3R4uAq0Yw7
— Jesse Lynch (@JesseLynchVA) October 25, 2023
Miyares declaring that he was an advocate for children during the 2021 campaign wasn't just political bluster. He has followed through on that, consistently and successfully, and this lawsuit is a continuation of that commitment.
A lot of talk about Big Tech focuses on antitrust, and rightly so. But I think some of the most interesting legal developments in this space will happen in the consumer protection arena. https://t.co/lbfvcMk3iO
— Mark Meador (@mrmeador) October 25, 2023
We will certainly be watching this lawsuit closely because it has enormous implications.
Other Twitter users joined in thanking Miyares for the lawsuit.
Get them AGAIN https://t.co/EjP8lViZwP
— Stocks betting and USA Baby! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱 (@Thereal_JamieO) October 24, 2023
THANK YOU SIR!
— Scott Dreyer (@DreyerCoaching) October 24, 2023
Finally, we have someone who’s willing to fight for us
— Lorna Martin (@LornaMa38529398) October 24, 2023
This is the new battleground for protecting kids!
— Blake Boudreaux (@blakewboudreaux) October 24, 2023
Proud to be a Virginian today.
Other users had plenty of suggestions about where Miyares should focus next.
Now do TikTok. It’s worse.
— Cheryl M (@Vintage56inVA) October 24, 2023
Can you sue the schools psychiatrists doctors and others whose damage they did to the parent child relationship is still ongoing, to include burying resources for parents looking for other options other than affirming care? Google will bring up no other results than this!🙏
— ✝️CAA (@a95650482) October 24, 2023
NSF/Darpa/Google should be added to that, as they are all in cahoots since the curation of Facebook and dance between companies like musical chairs, ie regina dugan the easiest to search.
— Jackalope (@Jackalo08043309) October 24, 2023
Hey, we hear all of that and don't necessarily disagree. But let's go one step at a time with this. Meta -- which includes Facebook, Instagram, and more -- is a behemoth with more than 3.5 billion users worldwide. Holding them accountable will go a long way towards holding other companies to equal account.
And the lawsuit isn't exonerating parents' responsibilities either. But with an estimated 95% of all youth 13 to 17 in the U.S. on social media, there is no question about the undue influence the companies have on kids. And if they are abusing that influence, everyone needs to know about it.
This lawsuit will bring any such abuse to light. And that is nothing but a good thing.
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