New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, alleging the social-media networks are a “breeding ground” for sexual predators targeting minors.
The state created several fake accounts posing as children and discovered adults were able to directly contact and make sexually explicit appeals to them. “Meta has allowed Facebook and Instagram to become a marketplace for predators in search of children upon whom to prey,” the legal filing, submitted in a state court on Tuesday, argues.
One account created by state authorities, “Issa Bee,” posed as a 13-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M., and attracted thousands of messages from adults through its associated app, Messenger. Among the messages were “pictures and videos of genitalia, including exposed penises, which she received at least 3-4 times per week,” the complaint explains.
The tech company, headed by Mark Zuckerberg, pushed back against the allegations in a public statement: “We use sophisticated technology, hire child safety experts, report content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and share information and tools with other companies and law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to help root out predators.” The company has claimed to have disabled over 250,000 accounts on Instagram for violating these rules.
“Our investigation into Meta’s social media platforms demonstrates that they are not safe spaces for children but rather prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex,” Attorney General Raul Torrez said, announcing the lawsuit on Wednesday.
In late October, more than 40 states came together and filed a joint lawsuit alleging that Meta is knowingly fueling a mental-health crisis among young users.
“Meta’s design strategy exploits [children’s] vulnerabilities: from a dopamine-inducing personalization algorithm that gives kids the same feeling as gambling, to consistent alerts that interfere with their schoolwork and sleep. Meta content capitalizes on children’s fear of missing out and urges them to constantly engage with the Platforms,” New Hampshire attorney general John M. Formella said at the time. “Meta’s decision to do so despite its knowledge of significant links between excessive use of social media and increased instances of serious health problems such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia is unacceptable and unlawful. Not unlike Big Tobacco a generation ago, Meta has chosen profits over public health, particularly the health of the youngest among us.”
Thirty-three states filed the federal lawsuit in a California court, while other state attorney generals filed similar motions in state courts. The lawsuits aim to ensure Meta’s platforms safeguard young users from various kinds of abuse. The tech company, which has staunchly denied such allegations in the past, announced its “disappointment” at the lawsuit. “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,” the company said.
A whistleblower released documents in 2021 revealing that Meta knew Instagram was addictive and harmful to youth mental health.