Home / Crime and Justice / Meta Fights to Hide Evidence in N.M. Child Exploitation Trial
Meta Fights to Hide Evidence in N.M. Child Exploitation Trial
21 Jan
Summary
- Meta seeks to exclude research on youth mental health and social media.
- The state alleges Meta failed to protect minors from exploitation.
- Investigators easily created fake accounts that received explicit content.
Meta is facing a trial in New Mexico, accused of failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation. The technology giant is actively petitioning the court to exclude several types of information. These exclusions include research studies on social media's impact on youth mental health and references to specific cases of teen suicide linked to online content.
The company also aims to prevent any mention of its financial resources, employee activities, or Mark Zuckerberg's student years. Meta argues that the trial should focus solely on whether it violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act concerning child safety. The state's complaint details how investigators easily created fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram, posing as minors, and were subsequently sent explicit messages and pornographic content.
Legal scholars have noted Meta's requests as unusually aggressive, particularly regarding reputation protection and excluding information about AI chatbots. The lawsuit was initiated by New Mexico's attorney general, alleging Meta proactively served explicit content to minors and failed to implement adequate safety measures. Meta maintains its commitment to protecting young people and has introduced features like Teen Accounts with built-in safeguards.
