Meta Asks Congress for Immunity from Child-Harm Lawsuits

Social media giant Meta reportedly is asking Congress for special protections from child-harm lawsuits in state courts.

Meta is the parent company that owns Facebook and Instagram, and over the past two decades it has grown into one of the largest social media corporations in the world. But the company has come under fire for failing to protect children on its platform.

In March, a New Mexico jury ruled that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on Instagram and Facebook. Jurors found thousands of violations, with penalties of $375 million. The day after that ruling, a Los Angeles jury awarded $3 million in damages to a young woman who said she became addicted to Meta and YouTube as a child, and recommended another $3 million in punitive damages after finding the companies acted with malice. Evidence presented at trial showed that tech executives knew their platforms were dangerous for children, but kept that information hidden. The companies face additional lawsuits from other children and families who say they suffered harm on these platforms as well.

Instead of taking steps to make its social media products safe for children, Reuters reports Meta is lobbying Congress for protection from child-harm lawsuits under the federal Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The language would make online companies “immune from suit or liability under state law with respect to all claims for loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the safety or privacy of individuals under the age of eighteen online or otherwise related to the provisions” of KOSA.

Writing this into federal law could prevent AI platforms and social media companies from being held accountable when their negligence or misconduct harms teens who use these platforms.

All of this is significant for Arkansas, because Attorney General Tim Griffin has sued Meta in state court for endangering children.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office has alleged that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time,” and that this exploitation is especially true of young users with developing brains.

Social media platforms are a multibillion dollar industry. The adults who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Our federal policymakers need to do their part to hold these companies accountable and protect children as well.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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