Prosecutors Turn Their Extortion Racket Against Facebook and Instagram

October 26, 2023

The propensity of prosecutors to jump to conclusions before all the evidence is in is very destructive—and nothing new.

by Jeffrey A. Singer Reason.com

Having extorted what they could from pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies by blaming them for the overdose crisis, several state attorneys generals (AGs) have now set their sights on extorting social media platforms for causing so-called “social media addiction” among our youth. On October 24, 33 states filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging Meta “has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens.”

One of the allegations—that Meta violated federal law by collecting data on children under age 13 without parental consent—is prosecutorial fair game. Not fair game, however, is the claim that “the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram, Facebook, and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens,” as New York Attorney General Letitia James, a co-plaintiff, made in an official statement about the case.