Instagram Accused of Secretly Tracking Teens

Internal documents reveal Meta set "teen time spent" as a key goal, with daily usage on Instagram growing from 40 minutes in 2023 to 46 minutes in 2026. Lawyers argue this focus on engagement knowingly targeted underage users, as the company was aware of millions of users under 13 before implementing age verification in 2021. An internal Meta document from 2018 stated, "If we wanna win big with teens, we must bring them in as tweens," undercutting the company's public policy against users under 13. This strategy was allegedly known at the highest levels, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying in a case where a plaintiff claims using Instagram at a young age led to depression and suicidal thoughts. Concerns over teen safety were reportedly weighed against engagement metrics and business priorities. For instance, Meta considered making teen accounts private by default in 2019 but delayed the change until 2024 over concerns it would hurt engagement. During that time, teens received billions of unwanted interactions from strangers. A 2022 internal audit found Instagram's "Accounts You May Follow" feature recommended 1.4 million potentially inappropriate adult accounts to teen users in a single day. Despite being aware of such risks and even conducting a "deactivation study" showing reduced anxiety and depression after a week off the apps, Meta did not publicly disclose these findings. The legal filings are part of a larger wave of litigation against social media giants. Over 1,800 plaintiffs, including school districts and state attorneys general, have joined a suit alleging platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube recklessly ignored the impact of their products on children's health. These lawsuits often cite violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a federal law requiring platforms to protect the privacy of users under 13. The Federal Trade Commission can impose penalties of over $50,000 per violation. Meta has faced international penalties as well, including a record €405 million fine from European regulators for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by making teen accounts public by default and allowing them to operate business accounts that exposed their contact information. In response to mounting pressure, Meta has introduced safety features like "take a break" reminders, parental controls, and overnight notification pauses for teens. However, critics and ongoing lawsuits argue these measures came years after the company was internally aware of the platform's potential harms.