Meta Faces Mounting Legal Pressure Over Social Media’s Effect on Teens

Meta, the tech juggernaut behind Facebook and Instagram, faces an existential threat as a growing number of states allege its social platforms have created a teen mental health crisis. Two major lawsuits aim to force accountability and change. For marketers, this development signals uncertainty around targeting, measurement, brand safety and more.

• Bipartisan coalition of 42 state attorneys general accuse Meta of deploying addictive algorithms while knowing the harm caused to teens
• Lawsuits could bring new regulations that restrict Meta’s data collection from teens and require changes to news feed algorithms
• Legal scrutiny ensures months of negative headlines and brand safety issues for advertisers to navigate
• If teen engagement falls due to reforms, advertisers may see lower performance in a highly coveted demographic

Facebook parent company Meta is facing major legal threats from a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general who allege its social media platforms have knowingly caused harm to teens and children. This mounting scrutiny could force Meta to finally put guardrails in place to protect young users.

42 state AGs filed two separate lawsuits accusing Meta of deploying addictive algorithms to hook kids and failing to protect them from content that damages mental health and body image. Several other states filed similar suits.

For marketers, this development signals a challenging period ahead for Meta…

Increased Regulations Loom

If the lawsuits succeed, Meta could face court-mandated restrictions on how it operates – like limits to data collection from teens or required changes to news feed algorithms on Instagram. New federal regulations could also follow. This could restrict Meta’s advertising targeting and measurement capabilities.

More Negative Headlines

The legal action ensures months of negative headlines for Meta as the cases progress. This worsens existing brand safety issues for advertisers and could lead more brands to pause spending on Meta platforms.

Teen Engagement May Face Pressure

Pending legal remedies could force Meta to implement product changes that reduce teen engagement on Facebook and Instagram. With teens highly sought-after by advertisers, lower usage in this group could impact ad results.

As the confrontation intensifies, advertisers must closely track updates from the legal battle and prepare strategies for an evolving Meta advertising landscape. Though the scientific debate continues over social media’s impacts, the lawsuits could force Meta to finally enact safeguards it has long resisted.