Blumenthal & Blackburn Statement on Unsealed Massachusetts Complaint Against Meta

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), lead sponsors of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, issued the following joint statement on the newly unredacted complaint filed by the Massachusetts Attorney General against Meta. The Massachusetts complaint is complementary to the lawsuits filed by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general against Meta for unfair and deceptive practices that harm young people.

“This damning, newly unsealed complaint alleges that Mark Zuckerberg was directly in charge of Meta’s decisions to put profits over young people’s lives. Zuckerberg reportedly ignored or personally overruled numerous safety concerns and recommendations from other Meta executives and advisors. Among the many disturbing internal communications cited in the complaint, Zuckerberg denied requests to fix problems that were ‘actively encouraging young girls into body dysmorphia’ and Instagram executives themselves acknowledged their product was unsafe for teens. Instead, Meta staff was fixated on creating a ‘pipeline’ of teens, remarking internally, ‘The young ones are the best ones. You want to bring people to your service young and early.’ Meta must immediately make these and other related documents available to the public.”

“Make no mistake: this is Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment. We now have mounting proof that Zuckerberg and Meta executives know very well how their platforms hurt and endanger kids. Instead of working to fix it, they fail to act, cover it up, and inexcusably mislead the public and Congress—all in the name of profit.”

“The Kids Online Safety Act will finally hold Big Tech accountable and make clear that young people are not a product to enrich executives like Zuckerberg. The time to pass it is now and we will continue pushing for a swift vote on this measure.”

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