Meta Platforms, led by Mark Zuckerberg, will face trial in the U.S. state of New Mexico over allegations of sexual exploitation of children and teenagers on its platforms and profiting from it, Reuters reported earlier.
This is described as the first such lawsuit against the tech giant to be heard by a jury, with the case proceeding in the Santa Fe County District Court.
The lawsuit, filed by State Attorney General Raúl Torrez, alleges that Meta promoted illegal content and allowed criminals unrestricted access to underage users on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to the prosecution, this often led to real-world abuse and human trafficking.
The case is supported by an undercover operation conducted in 2023, during which investigators created accounts posing as minors. These accounts received sexually explicit material and were contacted by adults, ultimately leading to criminal charges against three individuals.
Meta is also accused of designing platforms with features that increase children’s engagement while harming their mental health, such as infinite scrolling and automatic video playback.
The lawsuit claims that internal company documents acknowledge problems related to child sexual exploitation and children’s mental health, yet Meta failed to implement basic safety measures such as age verification and falsely portrayed its platforms as safe.
The state is seeking financial compensation as well as a court order requiring stronger protections for underage users.
Meta denies all allegations, stating that it has safety measures in place to protect children.
The trial is expected to last seven to eight weeks.
