South Carolina Attorney General Joins Multistate Lawsuit Against Meta

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – On Tuesday, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that 42 attorneys general have sued Meta in federal and state courts.

According to Wilson, the company knowingly designed and used harmful features on its social media platforms that purposely addict children and teens.

“Protecting our children is one of our most important jobs and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do with these lawsuits,” Attorney General Wilson said.

Wilson also went on to say Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The federal complaint alleges that Meta knew the harmful impact its social media platforms have on young people but instead of taking the steps to reduce the harm, it misled the public about the harms of the platform.

“We can’t stand by and do nothing while Big Tech continues to engage in behavior that knowingly harms our children and breaks the law,” said the attorney general.

Also, the complaint alleges Meta knew young people were active on social media platforms and collected the children’s data without parental consent.

The multi-state coalition that brought the federal complaint is also investigating TikTok’s conduct on a similar set of concerns says Wilson.

States joining the federal lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.