Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is taking legal action against popular social media companies for their harmful effects on children.
Ford's office has filed three lawsuits against the platforms TikTok, Snapchat, and three Meta-owned platforms: Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.
"We are looking to protect Nevada's youth; we believe these platforms are treating our youth frankly like products," said Attorney General Aaron Ford.
The lawsuits allege that the algorithms used by the platforms are designed deliberately to addict young minds and prey on teenagers' well-understood vulnerabilities.
"Consequences include increased risk of depression and anxiety, we've seen harms to body image up to and including eating disorders, we've seen a lack of sleep and higher obesity rates," said Ford.
As the consumer protection agency for the state, the Attorney General's office has outlined several remedial measures to be enforced. These measures include preventing platforms from collecting data of youths and selling it to companies, implementing age restrictions, time restrictions, and additional parental controls. Additionally, the lawsuit aims to establish a third-party monitoring organization.
Although the monetary damages are not specified, the Attorney General's office intends to allocate the funds to programs that provide assistance to children who have been negatively impacted by these social media platforms in Nevada.
"Similar to the opioids litigation, it won't be my office that's going to be expending those funds; it's going to be organizations that are experts in the area, such as psychologists," said Ford.
There is similar bipartisan litigation going on in the country.
In October, 33 states filed a lawsuit against Meta in federal court in California. But instead of joining the multi-state attorneys general lawsuit, Ford and his office are partnering with influential firms within the state to sue the companies at the state level.
"To be sure, we will continue to coordinate, cooperate, and communicate with our fellow Attorneys General across the nation, but as my judgment proved correct in the opioid litigation, for example, we have determined that the best approach for us to pursue litigation in state court, under state laws, that protect Nevada residents," said Ford.
We contacted all three companies, and so far, TikTok is the only one to get back to us. While they say they won't be commenting on the record, they provided a list of TikTok's policies regarding minor safety.
"When my office engages in litigation, we do it with the full force of our office, and we have outside assistance. You add that to what we're trying to do, and we have the backing of the entire state because this state understands that my goal is to protect Nevadans and in this particular lawsuit, our children," said Ford.Â
