Maryland is among dozens of states suing Meta Platforms Inc. over a youth mental health crisis.Attorney General Anthony Brown, along with 32 other state attorneys general, joined in a lawsuit saying Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, are harmful to children and teens and that Meta’s business practices violate the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The lawsuit brings the total number of states taking action to 41 and Washington, D.C.”Meta has chosen to optimize its profits at the expense of public health — specifically, the health of our children — for its own gain. Meta continues to exploit children and their fundamental desire for connection to others,” Brown said.Brown said at a news conference Tuesday that Meta has manipulated its social media platforms to attract young people.”We allege the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on its social media platforms to purposely addict children, features like infinite scroll and near constant alerts,” Brown said.”I was getting constant anxiety from always wondering if I was saying the right thing or keeping up with the trends,” said Aria Cannizzaro, an eighth grade student at Hampstead Hill Academy. “I would spend countless hours during the night checking, making sure I responded to every single message that I got. I would get depressed when I found no one responded to my messages.”Brown said he wants to protect children’s mental health.”Our country is facing a youth mental health crisis fueled by young people’s extensive and compulsive use of reliance on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram,” Brown said.”The stress that came with maintaining my social media started affecting me mentally. I was getting constant anxiety from always wondering if I was saying the right thing,” Aria said.Hampstead Hill Academy Principal Matt Hornbeck said he sees the damage social media causes every day.”Teachers say it’s the No.1 distraction in school. Another says it impacts attendance because students tell me they are up late on their phones, which causes them to be late to school. My students admit they’re on their phones after 2 a.m.,” Hornbeck said.Meta responded with a statement that reads, in part: “We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path.”Brown said the coalition wants the bad behavior to end and for the company to change its ways. The states’ court filing requests a permanent injunction to stop ongoing violations.To comply with federal regulation, social media companies ban kids under 13 from signing up to their platforms — but children have been shown to easily get around the bans, both with and without their parents’ consent, and many younger kids have social media accounts. The states’ complaint says Meta knowingly violated COPPA by collecting data on children without informing and getting permission from their parents. Other measures social platforms have taken to address concerns about children’s mental health are also easily circumvented. For instance, TikTok recently introduced a default 60-minute time limit for users under 18. But once the limit is reached, minors can simply enter a passcode to keep watching. TikTok, Snapchat and other social platforms that have also been blamed for contributing to the youth mental health crisis are not part of Tuesday’s lawsuit.The Associated Press contributed to this report.