2023 Social Media and Online Dating

A group of 43 state attorneys general has filed a lawsuit against Meta, parent company of Facebook, accusing the social media giant of knowingly addicting young people to its platforms.

What’s notable about the complaint is that it includes both Republicans and Democrats, suggesting concerns about the issue isn’t partisan. 

“Meta has gone unchecked for too long, and our children are suffering the consequences of these unlawful practices,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican. “Today, I took action to stop Meta from targeting minors with addictive features to keep them online for hours, collecting their data and other unlawful actions that harm teens’ mental health.”

“Our bipartisan investigation has arrived at a solemn conclusion: Meta has been harming our children and teens, cultivating addiction to boost corporate profits,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat. “With today’s lawsuit, we are drawing the line. We must protect our children and we will not back down from this fight. I am grateful for the collaboration of my fellow state attorneys general in standing up for our children and holding Meta accountable."

The complaint

The complaint alleges that Meta knew of the harmful effects of its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, on young people. Instead of taking meaningful steps to mitigate these harms, the state officials contend that Meta misled the public about the harms associated with the use of its platform, concealing the extent of the psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to use of its platforms. 

The complaint further alleges that Meta knew that young users, including those under 13, were active on the platforms, and knowingly collected data from these users without parental consent. 

In addition, the complaint charges Meta with:

• Creating a business model focused on maximizing young users’ time on its platforms

• Employing harmful and psychologically manipulative platform features while misleading the public about the safety of those features.

• Publishing reports purporting to show misleadingly low rates of user harm

• In spite of the overwhelming evidence linking its platforms to young user harms, refusing to address those harms while continuing to conceal and downplay its platforms’ adverse effects. 

Meta's response

Meta issued a statement denying the charges raised in the lawsuit. “We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced more than 30 tools to support teens and their families,” the company 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.”

The race is on!

Inside of a few days time, Meta’s new “Threads” app has done to Twitter what no other social media company has done – signed up 100 million text-post loving users, close to a fourth of Twitter’s audience base.

But, despite the spectacle of the punk-out between Meta’s Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Musk and the temptation to join the crowd, experts are saying that there are too many people jumping into Threads without thinking about what they’re giving Meta in the way of personal data and tracking.

Threads' key differentiator is its integration with Instagram, which provides a ready user base and a seamless transition. But Ani Chaudhuri, CEO at Dasera, says that could also be its Achilles heel when we look at it from a data privacy and security perspective.

“Merging data across platforms creates a rich, integrated dataset that may be more attractive to potential threat actors. If not managed correctly, this could result in unintended data sharing and privacy breaches,” he told ConsumerAffairs, reminding our readers that this is the exact same company that brought us that infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal. 

Specific issues people need to be aware of

If you haven’t leaped into Threads yet, or you just signed up, there are things you should consider before you go too far. 

You can’t delete Threads without deleting Instagram. “Most people are eager to jump on board new social media platforms, especially if they believe all of their peers are doing it, too. There are some immediate pitfalls people need to be aware of, one of which is that if you sign up for Threads by linking your Instagram account, you cannot delete Threads later without having to delete your Instagram,” Sharad Varshney, CEO of OvalEdge, a data governance consultancy, told ConsumerAffairs. 

“The two are ultimately married, sealing your data within its system indefinitely unless Meta changes this policy. You can only deactivate a Threads profile if you want to hang onto your Instagram, so you’ll be stuck with a dormant Threads account. So consider manually setting up an independent Threads profile with an email if you want to give yourself that ‘Threads deletion escape hatch.’”

More advertising junk to deal with. Don’t forget – Threads is owned by Meta and you know what that means. “This comes with the usual caveats that your data will be sold in Meta's advertising platform,” Art Shaikh, Founder & CEO, DigitalWill.com, said.

“Granted, the fact that it is built on the Instagram platform means that much of the data users have shared with IG is already in Meta's database, but new interaction and engagement data will also be added. As the saying goes, if the product is free, then your data is the cost. Users should take the usual precautions.”

You’re giving away your entire life. Well, darn near. Chris Hauk, Consumer Privacy Champion at Pixel Privacy, says he, for one, can’t trust Meta when it comes to user information and how it is used.

“Meta exists for one reason, to collect as much information as it can about its users and then sell that information to anyone able to pay the asking price,” Hauk said.

How much information? According to Threads disclosure on the Google Play store, 14 pieces, including: 

• Approximate and precise location

• Name, email address, user IDs, home address, phone number, political and religious beliefs, sexual orientation

• Financial info including user payment info, purchase history, credit score, and other financial info

• Health info and fitness info

• Emails, text messages

• Photos and videos, voice or sound recordings, music files, and other audio files

• Files and docs

• Calendar events

• Contacts

Additional concerns

"Potential users should take time to review this list and ensure they are comfortable with sharing their information before signing up for an account, which as a pre-requisite will be tied to their Instagram account," David Abramowitz, chief technologist at Trend Micro, told ConsumerAffairs.

Parents beware! Here's something pretty telling: Did you know that when Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg posted a Fourth of July picture of his family on Instagram, he blurred the faces of his children? If he's worried about the privacy of his children, then, shouldn't other parents be?

Erfan Shadabi, cybersecurity expert with data security specialists comforte AG says that before a child or young adult joins Threads, parents should familiarize themselves with the app's privacy policy and not only consider that laundry list of personal information Threads collects, but how it is stored and how it is used. 

“Assess whether the app aligns with your family's privacy expectations and values. And take note of any potential risks associated with the app's content, including user-generated content, public posts, or interactions with strangers,” he told ConsumerAffairs.

“No matter which app is in question, parents should also actively explore the app's settings and privacy controls. Teach them how to set their profile to private, limit who can view their posts or content, and how to manage friend or follower requests.”

Shadabi suggests that parents educate their children about the importance of strong passwords, avoiding suspicious links or downloads, and being cautious about sharing personal information or engaging with strangers online. 

“Teach them to identify potential risks and to report any suspicious or malicious activities on the platform. Above all, maintain an open line of communication and offer ongoing guidance and support," Shadabi said.

Montana has officially become the first state to completely ban TikTok for everyone in the state. It may be the first, but it’s not likely to be the last.

As of April 2023, the app has been banned for use by federal employees and banned for use by state employees in 34 states.

But students and Gen Z’er are looking at a far greater squeeze. Major colleges and universities like the University of Florida, University of Wisconsin, University of Texas, University of Georgia and others have cut off access to TikTok for hundreds of thousands of students. And a recent survey found that most people over the age of 23 want the app out of everyone’s life, basically challenging the younger generation's obsession with TikTok and its value in their lives.

The tech giants’ smoke-and-mirrors act

Any parent who’s tried to wean their child off the high they get from any dopamine-driven app knows that if or when the walls of TikTok keep tumbling down, they’re going to be dealing with a ton of bummed-out kids.

Titania Jordan is the chief parenting officer at Bark Technologies, a company that offers content monitoring for parents so their children can still get their internet fix without getting addicted to an app or website. Jordan told ConsumerAffairs that while Montana’s effort is a good start, it’s not going to remedy the situation.

“What the platform really needs to do, along with other platforms such as Snapchat, is open their APIs (Application Programming Interface) to allow third-party monitoring systems to get in there and do the job of helping to protect kids from digital dangers the right way,” she said – those dangers being cyberbullying, online predation, suicidal ideation, self-harm, violent content, and disordered eating. 

But she thinks the larger problem is going to be all the smoke and mirrors from these tech giants who “say” they’re putting in their own safety systems. 

“They’re not," she said. "Tech companies need checks and balances, much like any organization with too much power, to ensure they are truly putting in the right protective measures to help kids stay safer on their platforms, not just protect and further their own financial interests.”

How can parents safely monitor their child’s phone and social media use?

With summer around the corner, Jordan encourages parents to set borderlines, set screen time limits, model positive behavior, learn how to use the parental controls on the apps and devices their kids use – and a seemingly forgotten parental skill – spend some time with their kids outside, among other things like boundaries and contracts.

“Parental controls can block inappropriate content, help protect kids from communicating with strangers – or worse – predators, teach our kids limits and boundaries, help establish schedules for homework, chores, or bedtime, and mostly, help set them up for success to be responsible digital citizens,” Jordan said.

Put yourself in their shoes

Another suggestion – from Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD – is for parents to take the initiative to see for themselves just what their kids are being fed on the apps and sites they’re using.

“The best way to monitor media that kids use is to experience the media yourself,” she said. “Test apps and play games before your kids use them. View and play apps and games together. And watch what they watch so you can talk about what they see on their screens. You know your kids best, so you're the best judge of what they can handle.”

Jordan offered another plus that can help parents navigate their way through this. There are more than 300,000 parents, caregivers, educators, and mental health professionals in the Parenting in a Tech World Facebook Group where they can post questions specific to their family situation. "But, also find a group of support to remind them that we’re all in this together," she said.