Instagram and Facebook have provided platforms for child predators, the state of New Mexico alleged in a new lawsuit.

The state's attorney general filed a lawsuit in New Mexico state court late Tuesday alleging that Meta had failed to implement sufficient protections to ensure that children 13 or younger were protected from adults who might approach them for illicit purposes. The attorney general, Raúl Torrez, also alleged that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally responsible for product decisions at the company that made those risks worse. The suit is the result of an investigation run by the state in which it set up test accounts on Instagram and Facebook pretending to be teenagers and found explicit messages and sexual content sent to them.

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"Meta has allowed Facebook and Instagram to become a marketplace for predators in search of children upon whom to prey," the suit reads.

New Mexico authorities claim that their faked accounts were quickly overrun with follower requests from adults sending them illicit comments, child sex imagery, invitations to private groups, and even offers for them to provide sex for money.

The social platform defended its practices, stating that it had changed its software internally to combat the spread of child pornography. "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 told the Wall Street Journal.

Meta has attempted to step up its efforts to protect youth on the platform as members of Congress have sought to advance legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act. KOSA would require platforms to take steps to prevent a defined set of harms to minors as well as implement controls for users that allow parents to limit screen time, restrict addictive features, and determine who gets access to their teenager's user profile. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), passed through committee but has not received a floor vote.

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The social media company has stated that it is taking measures to address the growing number of reports on how child sexual assault material was being spread on the platform and that Instagram was connecting and promoting a vast network of accounts dedicated to the creation and sale of CSAM.

New Mexico's suit follows a mass suit filed by 41 states against Meta, alleging that it had designed and deployed features on its platform that preyed on young users.