The state of New Mexico has taken legal action, filing a lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram, alleging that the platforms provide a “breeding ground” for child predators, as reported by the French news agency.
This recent lawsuit comes within two months of numerous U.S. states accusing Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of profiting from “children’s pain” and negatively impacting their mental health while deceiving the public about the safety of its platforms.
New Mexico’s Attorney General, Raoul Torres, stated, “Our investigation into Meta’s social media platforms reveals that they are not safe spaces for children but rather primary locations for predators engaged in child pornography trafficking.”
Children can easily circumvent Facebook and Instagram’s age restrictions by providing false information about their ages.
According to a CNBC report, the lawsuit asserts that “some exploitative content involving children” on Facebook and Instagram is “ten times more prevalent” compared to well-known pornography sites.
New Mexico is coordinating legal actions against Meta with 42 other attorneys general, signifying that Facebook and Instagram directly targeted children and teenagers.
The charges against Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, by New Mexico include violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act. These charges follow Meta and Zuckerberg’s involvement in “unfair business practices” by facilitating the distribution of materials depicting child sexual assault and trafficking minors, undermining the health and safety of New Mexico’s children.
The lawsuit contends that Meta’s program targets children from the moment they enter the social platform. It not only aims to keep them engaged on the platforms but also directs inappropriate content toward them.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta’s algorithms promote sexual and exploitative content to users, highlighting the company’s failure to identify “networks” involved in child sexual exploitation and prevent users suspended for such violations from rejoining the platform using new accounts.
It further states that “Facebook and Instagram provide fertile ground for predators targeting children for human trafficking and the distribution of sexually explicit images to entice them.”
In response to a request from Agence France-Presse, a Meta spokesperson stated, “Child exploitation is a horrifying crime, and online predators are criminals with intent.”
They added that Meta’s efforts against predators involve using advanced technology, consulting with child safety experts, and sharing information with other companies and law enforcement agencies. The spokesperson noted that Meta suspended over 500,000 accounts in August alone due to violations of child safety policies, according to a dedicated team within the company.
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