Why Are Missouri & Illinois Suing Facebook? Why It Matters to You

Many states including Missouri and Illinois are going after Facebook in a new lawsuit. Here are details of what that means and why it matters to you and all that use social media.

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The attorney general of New York State recently issued a statement about why his state along with 32 others including Missouri and Illinois have filed a lawsuit against Meta (aka Facebook). He summarizes the lawsuit in a nutshell with this statement:

The lawsuit alleges that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram, Facebook, and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens.

Tech site PC Gamer filled in more blanks about what this litigation means. The allegation is that Facebook/Meta added addictive features they knew were harmful to children and teens without parental consent which the suit says violates federal law.

California's attorney general shared a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) talking about how he was angry not just as a representative, but also as a father.

What does this mean to you?

If Illinois, Missouri and the other states are successful, they are seeking what PC Gamer says is "a permanent injunction against "engaging in the acts and practices" on all Meta-owned social media platforms, as well as per-state fines, civil penalties, and legal costs". That could result in the social media platforms having to alter key features that the lawsuit says are harmful to young people.

It remains to be seen what the result of this case between the states and Facebook/Meta will be as it has yet to reach the courtroom, but it might just change the landscape of social media. Maybe.