Meta’s Dispute Over Addicted Kids Reignites Age-Proofing Fight

A lawsuit brought by California and more than 30 state attorneys general against Meta Platforms Inc. for allegedly enticing children onto Instagram and Facebook with addictive features will likely accelerate an already roiling national debate over how internet companies should limit access by minors to harmful content.

The lawsuit alleges that, in addition to harming young users’ mental health, Meta violated federal children’s privacy law by failing to get parental consent to collect data of users younger than 13. Instead, the company relied on what the state attorneys general are calling a faulty age-gating process to keep young users off ...