New court documents from a Utah lawsuit allege that Meta executives were aware the company’s apps have “addictive features,” and that Meta misrepresents its apps as safe for children.
The documents say the apps owned by the company have algorithms that “push users into a ‘rabbit hole’ of content” while Instagram’s algorithm takes children “into negative spirals.”The complaint previously had passages of text covered up, but the entire document is now public.
The latest information about what Meta might have known about its young users comes as a U.S. Senate hearing this week brought national attention to complaints against social media companies.
During the hearing, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the extraordinary step of standing up and turning around in the middle of his testimony and apologizing to the victims and families in the Senate hearing room who say they have been harmed by social media.
“I’m sorry for everything you’e all gone through, it’s terrible,” Zuckerberg said. “No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.”