Attorney General William Tong released a statement concerning Meta’s introduction of new Instagram Teen Accounts. The accounts, aimed at users aged 13-17, will feature enhanced privacy measures, messaging restrictions, more restrictive content settings, a sleep mode, and break reminders. Teens will have the ability to select topics of interest while parents can view these choices. However, Meta will continue enabling "infinite scroll" and serving content through its algorithm.
"Not nearly enough. Under intense pressure from law enforcement, parents, educators, and public health professionals, Meta is doing the very least it can do to look like it is doing something. I sincerely hope that these changes help because our kids are hurting, but I’m skeptical," stated Attorney General Tong. He further criticized the platform's addictive features: "As I and others have said before, these dangerously addictive platforms and their algorithms and infinite scroll features—called behavioral cocaine by one developer—are designed to override self-control and maximize profits. ‘Teen Accounts’ do not appear to address those fiercely addictive features."
Tong emphasized that this announcement does not alter Connecticut's ongoing litigation against Meta. Last year, Connecticut joined 45 states and the District of Columbia in filing coordinated lawsuits against Meta for allegedly designing harmful features on Instagram and other platforms to addict children and teens while falsely claiming these features were safe.
The attorneys general argue that Meta’s practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). These practices are claimed to harm children's physical and mental health and contribute to what the U.S. Surgeon General has described as a “youth mental health crisis.”