New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, accusing the company of creating an online “breeding ground” for sexual predators. In an undercover investigation by the AG’s office, Facebook and Instagram do not feature sufficient safeguards to protect children from exposure to obscene materials and solicitation by adult pedophiles.
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“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,” says the 288-page civil complaint filed with the First Judicial District Court of Santa Fe. “Meta should be held accountable for the harms it has inflicted on New Mexico’s children.”
Attorney General Torrez revealed what his office had uncovered in a press statement on Wednesday. While posing as children on Facebook and Instagram, state investigators had almost immediately made contact with adult strangers who began soliciting them for explicit pictures and in-person meetups.
One such fake account, posing as a 13-year-old girl from Albuquerque, received thousands of direct messages including “pictures and videos of genitalia, including exposed penises, which she received at least 3-4 times per week.”
“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,” said Torrez, who specializes in prosecuting internet sex crimes.
Related: Meta Sued for Targeting Kids Through ‘Addictive’ Social Media Features
According to the AG’s findings, “certain child exploitative content is over ten times more prevalent on Facebook and Instagram than it is on Pornhub and OnlyFans.”
The suit against Meta Platforms alleges that the company is well aware of the dangers to underage users but has not taken the necessary steps to address the problem.
“Despite repeated assurances to Congress and the public that they can be trusted to police themselves, it is clear that Meta’s executives continue to prioritize engagement and ad revenue over the safety of the most vulnerable members of our society,” Torrez said.
Meta did not respond directly to the Attorney General’s office, but issued a press release stating that “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.”
“In one month alone, we disabled more than half a million accounts for violating our child safety policies,” the statement continued.
The State of New Mexico is seeking $5,000 for each alleged violation of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act and an order compelling the Meta Platforms to no longer “engage in unfair, unconscionable, or deceptive practices.”
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