• Child exploitation, grooming, and social media addiction claims put Meta on trial Meta is facing two trials over child safety allegations in California and New Mexico. • The lawsuits are landmark cases, marking the first time that any such accusations have reached a jury. • Although over 40 state attorneys general have filed suits about child safety issues with social media, none had gone to trial until now. • The New Mexicocase, filed by Attorney General Raúl Torrez in December 2023, centers on child sexual exploitation. • Torrez’s team built their evidence by posing as children online and documenting what happened next, in the form of sexual solicitations. • The team brought the suit under New Mexico’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, a consumer protection statute that prosecutors argue sidesteps Section 230 protections.
Article Summaries:
- Meta is facing two landmark jury trials over child‑safety allegations in California and New Mexico, the first time such claims have reached a jury. The New Mexico suit, filed by Attorney General Raúl Torrez, accuses Meta of facilitating child sexual exploitation, citing undercover investigations and internal documents that warn of up to half a million daily cases. The case also challenges the company’s age‑verification system. A separate Los Angeles trial involves a 20‑year‑old plaintiff alleging that YouTube and Instagram induced addiction and mental‑health harm. Meta counters that it disclosed risks and that investigations are biased, while whistleblower leaks from 2021-23 have highlighted prior knowledge of platform‑induced harm.
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