45 States Hammer Meta Over Child Safety Lapses
Bipartisan rage against TikTok has been a boon for the social media giant’s competitors, who have largely escaped public scrutiny over the past year. For Meta, the parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, that respite may be ending. The firm faces lawsuits from attorneys general in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., who have accused it of causing harm to young users.
The flurry of lawsuits, which The New York Times summarized in a long piece on Saturday, mirrors litigation against tobacco companies several decades ago. The suits claim that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has failed to remedy safety lapses and has rejected his own staff members’ requests for more manpower to address issues.
“A lot of these decisions ultimately landed on Mr. Zuckerberg’s desk,” Raúl Torrez, attorney general of New Mexico, told the Times. “He needs to be asked explicitly, and held to account explicitly, for the decisions that he’s made.”