Bloomberg News reports that Meta Platforms Inc. has now become a leader in a social media trend of a different kind. The company faces lawsuits claiming that faulty developed algorithms built into its platforms attract young people and get addicted, leading to destruction.
Algorithms harming youth
Over the last one week, as many as eight complaints have been filed across the courthouses alleging that excessive exposure to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook has led to accurate or actual suicides, sleep disturbances, and eating disorders, among other health issues, reported.
According to the attorney, a principal at Beasley Allen, Andy Birchfield, said on Wednesday that the designed application could have been done to minimize the potential harm. Still, instead, a decision was made to make adolescents addicted in the name of corporate profits. Beasley Allen is the law company that has drafted all the suits.
There has been a surge in the recent cases against Snap Inc and Meta, and the complaints have been added. Some of these complaints have been filed by parents whose children have finished their own lives. The litigation follows after a former employee at Facebook gave a high-profile testimony wherein it revealed that the company refuses to take responsibility for causing harm to the mental health of the young users.
Bloomberg News reports that a spokesperson at Meta refused to comment on the matters related to litigation and stated that the company has been developing parental tools to keep a tab on the children’s activity on Instagram with set time limits. Meta has also been offering so-called “Take a Break” reminders that cause users to stay away from the device for a while from social media.
In addition, the company is offering resources for eating disorders, causing the sensitive content to be challenging to find, and designing artificial intelligence to ensure that children aged 13 years and less cannot see Facebook or Instagram, as per the spokesperson.
A new suit was filed by Naomi Charles, who is a 22-year-old woman who stated that she had been using Meta platforms while she was a minor and she was addicted, which led to attempting suicide and facing other sufferings.
As per a complaint filed in a Miami federal court, Meta did not interpret the non-addictive, safety, and utility properties of the company’s products.
Like the others, Charles seeks monetary damages for compensating her mental anguish, cost of hospitalization, medical bills, and loss of enjoyment in life.
Failure to warn, defective designs, and negligence are the central claims in the complaints. The complaints were filed in federal courts in Florida, Delaware, Illinois, Georgia, Colorado, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas.
