Zuckerberg personally nixed ban on harmful plastic surgery filters, lawsuit claims

A lawsuit by more than 30 U.S. states accuses Meta Platforms of jeopardizing underage users’ mental health, with Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg personally accused of dismissing experts’ concerns. “Thanks to our unredacted federal complaint, it is now there in black and white, and it is damning.” The company said in a statement that “while filters exist across every major social platform and smartphone camera, Meta bans those that directly promote cosmetic surgery, changes in skin color or extreme weight loss.” “We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online,” the Menlo Park, Calif., company said. “We’ve spent a decade working on these issues and hiring people who have dedicated their careers to keeping young people safe and supported online.” According to the lawsuit, in 2020, Zuckerberg, the company’s chief executive, was given internal memos on filters that detailed Meta’s consultation with independent experts “about the impact of these effects on body dysmorphia and eating disorders,” especially for teenage girls. The states say that Meta has a “backlog of 2-2.5 million under 13 accounts awaiting action — and permits the collection of data from those accounts until Meta can evaluate the reported account.” The company said that because verifying age is a “complex industry challenge,” it is supporting a federal legislative proposal to requires app store to get parents’ approval whenever their teens under 16 download apps.