Meta sued over child sexual exploitation claims

The US state of New Mexico has accused the company of profiting from exposing youngsters to online abuse

Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has entered a jury trial in a landmark lawsuit alleging the US tech giant has knowingly exposed children to serious harm on its social media platforms, including sexual abuse.

The trial began on Monday in the US state of New Mexico, where Attorney General Raul Torrez claimed in his lawsuit that Meta’s social networks – including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – create dangerous environments for children, exposing them to sexual exploitation, solicitation, and sextortion, often leading to real-world abuse and human trafficking.

The trial follows an undercover investigation that Torrez, a former prosecutor, and his office ran in 2023, which alleged that Meta fails to prevent child trafficking on its platforms. State prosecutors want the platform to be held accountable for pushing addictive or harmful algorithms to children’s feeds.

Meta denies the allegations, saying it has extensive safeguards to protect younger users. The company attempted to have the case dismissed, arguing it is protected from liability by free-speech and online immunity laws, but a judge ruled the lawsuit can proceed.

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The case marks the second major lawsuit against the tech giant in 2026 involving alleged harm to minors. Another high-profile trial is underway in Los Angeles, where families and schools have sued global social media giants Meta, TikTok, and YouTube in their first-ever product liability case, alleging the platforms were knowingly designed to addict children and harm their mental health.

Globally, the company is facing growing regulatory challenges, having been designated an “extremist organization” in Russia in 2022 and facing multiple EU actions, including a €797 million ($940 million) antitrust fine and separate copyright, data-protection, and advertising cases across Europe.

Mounting concerns over child safety online have intensified legal pressure. In the US, Meta faces lawsuits alleging it prioritized engagement over issues such as user safety and addictive features. Several countries have moved to restrict social media access for children and teens, with Australia banning users under 16, Denmark planning a ban for under-15s, and France, Spain, and Italy pursuing similar age‑limit laws.