Social media companies have seen better days and that trend does not seem to be improving anytime soon.

Attorney General Dave Yost has announced that he and 32 other AGs have filed a federal lawsuit against Meta alleging the company designed and deployed harmful features for it's flagship brands, Facebook and Instagram, that would get younger users addicted to using it.

The AGs joining this lawsuit are from states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho to name a few.

The Attorney's General claim the company did this to enhance its bottom line.

"Given that children, when they're on these platforms, become vulnerable to cyberbullying and online predators, Meta has added insult to injury, further injuring our children," Yost said. "I trust that the parents within Meta itself might reconsider these practices, but, until then, initiating lawsuits should compel the company to change its ways."

The federal lawsuit claims Meta violated state consumer protection laws by assuring the public that the platforms are safe and suitable for young users. However the U.S. Surgeon General says social media  has prompted what they call a "youth mental health crisis," leading to an increase in suicide rates among young people.

This is due in large part to what the lawsuit claims is negative content, including material related to eating disorders, violence and body-image issues and more.

The complaint further alleges that Meta violated federal law – specifically, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act – when the company, aware that users younger than 13 were actively on its platforms, collected data from those users without parental consent.

Meta targeted these youngest users after identifying them as a "valuable, but untapped" base, as reported in a 2021 Wall Street Journal article.

Meta's platform algorithms, the lawsuit says, push users into descending "rabbit holes," with the objective of keeping users on the platform for long periods. Meta also allegedly used features such as infinite scroll and near-constant alerts in a concerted effort to hold young users' attention. 

According to Yost's office, the lawsuit seeks injunctive and monetary relief caused by Meta's platforms.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in state courts in Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

Florida is filing its own federal lawsuit.