Illinois joins lawsuit alleging Meta ‘targets children’ with harmful …

Illinois is one of dozens of states that has joined a federal lawsuit alleging that Meta Platforms Inc., which operates Facebook, Instagram and other sites, uses harmful business practices to target children and to encourage them to spend unhealthy amounts of time on their platforms.

A total of 33 states have signed onto the federal lawsuit, filed this week. According to NBC News, another nine states are filing their own suits, bringing the total number of participating states to 42.

The federal suit was filed in the Northern District of California, alleging that Meta’s business model “seeks to capture as much user time and attention as possible to sell advertising,” according to a press release from Raoul’s office.

The suit also alleges that Meta’s practices have targeted youth in ways that “take advantage of them,” according to Raoul’s office.

“Our children are in crisis, and we need to act,” he said in a statement. “The addictive…