The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is asking the public to share stories about the negative impact social media is having on our kids and teens.
After a coalition of states sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Attorney General Keith Ellison is saying actual stories of addiction and harm from those who have been impacted are key.
For comparison, Ellison says similar input in the state's case against e-cigarette maker JUUL had a huge impact.
"You know, one kid said 'I hated my JUUL pen and I loved it at the same time. They loved it but hated it because I couldn't let it go and I couldn't do anything without it," Ellison explained.
Ellison says social media companies like Instagram, TikTok and SnapChat have deliberately designed features to keep kids addicted, putting profit above all else.
"What these social media firms, we allege, have done is said, 'oh, we can make more money off that kid if we just tap that brain center,'. As much as we can keep hooking, keep watching, we'll be able to get more eyes and if there's more eyes on what we're doing, we can sell that to advertisers who will advertise with us and make us more money," Ellison tells WCCO Radio.
In late October, Attorney General Ellison joined a bipartisan coalition of 42 attorneys general in suing Meta. It's not the first time attorneys general have gone after social media companies.
Last March of 2022, a nationwide investigation into whether TikTok’s efforts to boost engagement and screen time among young people violated consumer protection laws. In May of 2021, Attorney General Ellison joined a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general in urging Facebook to abandon its plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13.
“We urgently need social media platforms to be responsible actors, given the tremendous power and influence they have,” added Ellison said in a statement.” Unfortunately, that’s just not happening right now. I will work to ensure these companies see children and teenagers as vulnerable people to be protected, not engines for profit.”
Anyone interested in sharing their story on social media use can submit it on the Minnesota Attorney General's Office website.
