Press Releases
09/17/2024
Attorney General Tong Statement Regarding Instagram Teen Accounts
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement regarding Meta’s new Instagram Teen Accounts. Meta announced today they will be rolling out new accounts for teens ages 13-17. The accounts will have added privacy features, messaging restrictions, more restrictive content settings, a new sleep mode and added break reminders. Teens will be able to choose topics they are most interested in, and parents will be able to view those choices. Notably, it appears Meta will continue to enable ”infinite scroll” for teen accounts, and it appears will continue to serve content to teens via its algorithm.“Not nearly enough. Under intense pressure from law enforcement, parents, educators, and public health professionals, Meta is doing the very least it can do to look like it is doing something. I sincerely hope that these changes help because our kids are hurting, but I’m skeptical. As I and others have said before, these dangerously addictive platforms and their algorithms and infinite scroll features—called behavioral cocaine by one developer—are designed to override self-control and maximize profits. ‘Teen Accounts’ do not appear to address those fiercely addictive features. This announcement changes nothing with respect to our active litigation against Meta. We’re continuing to press our case to force this broken industry to respect the law and the safety and wellbeing of our kids,” said Attorney General Tong.
Last year, Connecticut was among 45 states and the District of Columbia bringing coordinated suits against Meta alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens. At the same time, Meta was falsely assuring the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users.
The attorneys general assert that Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). These practices have harmed and continue to harm the physical and mental health of children and teens and have fueled what the U.S. Surgeon General has deemed a “youth mental health crisis” which has ended lives, devastated families, and damaged the potential of a generation of young people.
- Twitter: @AGWilliamTong
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
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