New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has accused Meta Platforms of creating a “breeding ground” for child predators on Facebook and Instagram in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the latest in a string of legal actions related to alleged harms to young users caused by the social media giant.
Meta allegedly exposes young users to sexual content and makes it possible for adult users they don’t know to contact them, putting children at risk of abuse or exploitation, according to the complaint, filed in New Mexico state court.
“Meta’s business model of profit over child safety and business practices of misrepresenting the amount of dangerous material and conduct to which its platforms expose children violates New Mexico law,” the complaint, which also names Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a defendant, states. “Meta should be held accountable for the harms it has inflicted on New Mexico’s children.”
Meta has faced growing scrutiny over the impact of its platforms on young users in recent years. The social media giant has been sued by various
school districts and state attorney generals in lawsuits related to youth mental health,
child safety and
privacy. Former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Arturo Bejar also
told a Senate subcommittee last month that Meta’s top executives, including Zuckerberg, ignored warnings for years about harms to teens on its platforms.
The social media giant last month also
sued the Federal Trade Commission in an effort to prevent regulators from reopening the company’s landmark $5 billion privacy settlement from 2020 and from
banning the social media giant from monetizing the user data of children
Meta strongly denied claims that its platforms put children at risk.