25 October 2023
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNW) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has joined the Sunflower State in a lawsuit with 32 other states in federal court. The aim is to get Facebook parent company Meta, along with Instagram, to stop collecting data on very young kids.
“That is absolutely the hope. That is what attorneys general, including Attorney General Kobach is hoping for,” said Kansas assistant attorney general Fran Oleen on Tuesday. “Is that children will be more protected from the manipulative practices that Meta has engaged in. “
The lawsuit in federal court claims information of young users is continuing to be collected. And that includes kids under the age of thirteen.
“Specifically, that Meta targeted young users knowing they are more susceptible to messages and images of eating disorders, body dysmorphia, self-harm,” said Oleen. “And that they did not use that knowledge to the benefit of users or to the benefit of children. They used it to line their pockets. To make money.”
Oleen says if the lawsuit is successful, it could cost Meta and Instagram. The lawsuit asks for up to ten thousand dollars per privacy violation, and Oleen says there could be many thousand violations.
But Olseen says the lawsuit is not about money.
“So they are telling parents one thing and doing another,” said Oleen. “And, yes, they are required by federal law to ensure that anyone under thirteen has their information protected, and they’re not doing that.”
The federal lawsuit also seeks immediate injunctive relief. If granted, that injunctive relief could happen at any time.
Finally, Oleen says, parents need to continue to talk to kids about social media.
“Well, the hope is Meta will start telling the truth and that they will start protecting our youth with the information that they have,” said Oleen. “And I really hope this will start a conversation with parents, teachers and adults. I see it as really three-pronged. Government has a role. Meta has a role. Parents have a role to have those conversations.”