Instagram and Facebook are considered predatory sites for minors

As a result of a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, serious accusations have surfaced against Facebook and Instagram. He claims that social media platforms have become safe havens for child predators.

As fake accounts were sent ‘solicitations’ and explicit content, Torrez’s office investigated distressing incidents using these accounts.

As a result of the lawsuit, the court is required to compel Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, to implement measures that safeguard the younger users on their platform. Meta is alleged to have turned a blind eye to these concerns, accusing the company of ignoring them voluntarily.

In response to the question, Meta responded by saying that it had continued to make efforts to get predators off its platforms. There are, however, some forms of exploitative material that are more widespread on Facebook and Instagram as compared to adult content websites like Pornhub and OnlyFans, according to New Mexico’s investigation.

There is no doubt that the investigation findings are alarming. Torrez emphasizes that these social media platforms are unsafe for children and that they serve as hubs for predators to share illegal material and target minors through them.

As a consequence of US law, platforms are not liable for the content they host or distribute but Meta’s algorithms are actively propagating and distributing sexually exploitative content, thus turning the platforms into a marketplace for child predators.

The lawsuit alleges that Meta misled users and families about the safety of the platform, violating laws prohibiting deceptive practices, as well as creating a hazardous environment as a result of its activities.

It is also claimed that Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, has been personally targeted by the lawsuit, alleging that despite promises made public, he steered the company in the opposite direction of enhancing child safety.

Meta’s response to this was to reiterate their commitment to combating child exploitation, pointing to the implementation of technology, the collaboration with experts, and the reporting of illegal content to the appropriate authorities as examples.