NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Internal documents showed Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, knew they were dangerous for teens, but the company "aggressively" marketed to them anyway.
That's according to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, who came on Inside Politics and provided details about the state's lawsuit against Meta.
The lawsuit ended this week with Meta agreeing to pay more than $17 billion, that will be divided among multiple states, and implementing sweeping child safety reforms on Instagram and Facebook.
"We had evidence that the product was dangerous and they knew it was dangerous. We had evidence that they were misleading the public about that," said Attorney General Skrmetti.
The attorney general said internal Meta documents and former employees turned whistle-blowers were at the center of Tennessee's case.
"I mean there was an internal email where somebody was laughing about how their product is so addictive," Skrmetti said.
Former Facebook and Instagram employees testified they tried to warn managers about children becoming addicted to the platforms.
"Maybe we should do something to be less of a problem. Look at all these features we have that are so addictive. Kids are getting hurt," Skrmetti said.
Doctors testified that teens' brains are more sensitive to dopamine and that they have a hard time closing the app, even when they want to, because of the infinite scroll and targeted algorithms.
The person who invented the infinite scroll testified at the trial.
"And he was lamenting what has happened as a result of what he created because kids, adults are affected too, but adults can make choices better. Adult brains are a lot more resistant to this stuff," Skrmetti said.
After Tennessee finished presenting its case, Meta said it wanted to settle.
In addition to paying $17 billion, Facebook and Instagram agreed to:
- A daily time limit for kids
- Cutting kids off from midnight to 6 a.m.
- Better age verification
- An option for parents to opt out of the infinite scroll
"I mean we want to stop them from hurting kids. We don't just want to shake them down for cash," Skrmetti said.
Tennessee attorneys also deposed Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg, who they claim dismissed his safety team's recommendation to ban 'selfie filters' that can mimic plastic surgery effects and make people appear different than they are.
"Anxiety, suicide, depression, sleep deprivation, all of these measures of teen mental health have changed for the worse," Skrmetti said.
Tennessee is receiving more than $750 million from the settlement, which will go into a mental health fund for kids.
Skrmetti said the state is now in disputes with TikTok and YouTube to agree to the same restrictions.
You can see the entire, unedited interview on Inside Politics which airs on the Spot.
Inside Politics is also a podcast. Just enter Inside Politics Nashville wherever you get your podcasts and start listening.
