Meta Sued Over Alleged Youth User Manipulation Tactics

A bipartisan coalition of US states has sued Meta, accusing the company of deliberately designing its platforms to hook young users and prioritize engagement over their mental health. The lawsuit, filed by 32 attorneys general on October 24, 2023, targets Meta's use of features such as infinite scroll, algorithmic content recommendations, and push notifications, which are designed to maximize user engagement.

The states claim that Meta knew about the negative impact of these features on young users' mental health but chose not to act. The four-word framework used by the states to describe Meta's alleged strategy is 'hook, hold, harvest, hide'. They argue that Meta 'hooked' users with its engaging features, then 'held' them with algorithmic recommendations and push notifications, before 'harvesting' their data for advertising revenue.

The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $200 billion, which is roughly equal to Meta's entire 2025 revenue of approximately $201 billion. If the states succeed, it would establish that platform design can constitute a form of deception or harm under state consumer protection laws.