New Mexico Sues Mark Zuckerberg and Meta, Alleges Apps Are a ‘Breeding Ground for Predators’

The state of New Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Meta and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging that the company "knowingly" exposed children to sexual exploitation and harmful content, according to the complaint seen by The Messenger.

The suit alleges that Meta’s social platforms Instagram and Facebook — which have more than 1 billion users each — are a "breeding ground for predators" targeting children, including human traffickers.

Despite being informed about these accounts, Meta "has taken no action to remove known harmful content or remove known violators of Meta’s own purported policies," the suit states.

Filed on Tuesday by New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez, the suit also alleges that Meta profits off hooking children on its apps and exposing them to harmful content — an allegation that echoes those made by other cases filed by other state attorney generals and more than 100 school districts across the U.S.

In a statement to The Messenger, a Meta spokesperson said, "Child exploitation is a horrific crime and online predators are determined criminals. We use sophisticated technology, hire child safety experts, report content to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and share information and tools with other companies and law enforcement, including state attorneys general, to help root out predators."

"In one month alone, we disabled more than half a million accounts for violating our child safety policies."

New Mexico is seeking civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each violation discovered.