The key difference is that Meta mislead parents, and breached privacy laws by gathering children’s data to further enhance advertising.

The lawsuit claims that Meta’s platforms were designed to maximize the time children and teenagers spend on its apps using psychologically manipulative features, and falsely portrayed its products as safe, all in an effort to generate profit .

The lawsuit suggests a perceived lack of transparency and potential violation of federal children’s online privacy laws, which is being challenged in court. This legal action could set a precedent for how digital platforms, including video games, might be regulated in the future, especially regarding features that could be seen as exploitative or harmful to younger users.

In comparison, video games have a rating system in place to help parents decide if it’s suitable for their children, and exploitative mechanics like Loot Boxes were banned in Europe for under 18yo.