Is Instagram harmful to kids? Ky.’s Cameron part of nationwide investigation to find out.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Thursday he is one of at least eight co-leaders of a nationwide investigation into whether the social media platform Instagram is putting young people at risk.

Cameron, a Republican, and a bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont are examining whether “the company violated state consumer protection laws and put the public at risk,” a news release from Cameron’s office said.

Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, is under investigation, the news release said, for providing and promoting Instagram to children and young adults “despite knowing that such use is associated with physical and mental health harms.”

“After troubling reports surrounding Instagram’s harmful effects on young people, it’s important for us to further examine the company’s actions,” Cameron said.

The investigation focuses on Meta techniques that increase the frequency and duration of engagement by young users.

Recent reports reveal that Meta’s internal research found that using Instagram “is associated with increased risks of physical and mental health harms on young people, including depression, eating disorders, and suicide,” the news release said.

The New York Times reported Thursday afternoon that Meta officials did not immediately comment on the nationwide investigation and that Meta had previously disputed the characterization of the initial media reports of Instagram’s issues.