Asian Tech Press (Nov 19) -- A bipartisan coalition of U.S. attorneys general said Thursday it has launched an investigation into Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms, for promoting its social platform Instagram to teenagers despite potential harms.

The probe, which involves at least nine states, comes at a time when Facebook is under scrutiny for its attitudes toward children and young people, the Wall Street Journal reported exclusively Thursday.

The attorneys general are investigating whether the company violated consumer protection laws and put young people at risk, they said in a statement.

"Facebook, now Meta, has failed to protect young people on its platforms and instead chose to ignore or, in some cases, double down on known manipulations that pose a real threat to physical and mental health — exploiting children in the interest of profit," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a press release.

"These accusations are false and demonstrate a deep misunderstanding of the facts," a spokesperson for Meta responded in a statement.

In previous months, prosecutors in more than 40 U.S. states wrote to the company asking it to drop plans for a child-focused app, and lawmakers also raised concerns about it.

The states involved in the probe include Nebraska, Massachusetts, California, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vermont, New York and New Jersey.