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Massachusetts to update multistate probe on Instagram’s impact on kids

By Diane Bartz, Nate Raymond and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Massachusetts attorney general’s office said on Monday that it would provide an update on Tuesday into a multistate probe into Meta Platforms and allegations its subsidiary Instagram was harmful to children.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office noted they were co-leading a bipartisan nationwide probe of the company that began in 2021. That probe looked at allegations Meta promoted Instagram to children despite potential harms, the states said in 2021.

Massachusetts to update multistate probe on Instagram's impact on kids
FILE PHOTO: A logo of mobile application Instagram is seen on a mobile phone, during a conference in Mumbai, India, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

A Meta spokesperson said, “We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” without indicating what action the states would take.

Connecticut and Vermont will discuss a lawsuit on Tuesday but did not say what company was involved. Tennessee and Virginia plan to hold press conferences on Meta or Big Tech.