A New Mexico judge granted Mark Zuckerberg’s request to be dropped from a lawsuit that claims his company has failed to protect young users from sexual exploitation on its social media platforms, on Thursday, news agency AP reported.
The lawsuit is part of a series of cases brought by states, school districts, and parents against Meta over concerns about child exploitation on its platforms.
The issue has been a topic of congressional hearings beyond courtrooms around the U.S., as lawmakers and parents are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media on the lives of young people.
The Attorney General of New Mexico, Raúl Torrez, filed the lawsuit against Meta and Zuckerberg following an undercover online investigation. While Judge Bryan Biedscheid agreed to drop Zuckerberg from the case, he denied Meta’s request to dismiss the state’s claims, allowing the case to proceed.
“For decades, Meta Platforms have prevented nearly every legal challenge against them from proceeding,” Torrez said in a statement, AP reported.
Torrez described this decision as a significant milestone, stating that it is the first case by a state attorney general to address child sexual exploitation claims against Meta. He emphasized that social media platforms causing harm to users should be warned.
More claims against Meta
In a related development, attorneys general from 33 states, including California and New York, have also filed claims against Meta, alleging that features on Instagram and Facebook are designed to engage children and contribute to a youth mental health crisis, reported AP.
Judge Biedscheid noted that the state’s arguments were insufficient to keep Zuckerberg in the lawsuit at this time, but this could change as new evidence emerges. The Attorney General’s office indicated it would continue to evaluate whether Zuckerberg should be named individually in the future.
According to the AP’s report, Meta’s lawyers contended that the company cannot be singled out by New Mexico because its platforms are accessible worldwide and users consent to the terms of service when they sign up. They maintained that the state is not challenging the content itself, but the way Meta’s algorithms distribute this content, which can be addictive and harmful.
Earlier this month, Torrez announced the arrests of three men who allegedly used Meta’s platforms to solicit sex from children, following an undercover operation by the state Department of Justice. These arrests occurred around the time the lawsuit was filed.
Torrez criticized Meta executives, including Zuckerberg, for prioritizing profits over the safety of children. Meta, however, stated that it employs technology to prevent suspicious adults from interacting with minors and collaborates with law enforcement on investigations.
Prosecutors claim they have discovered internal Meta documents indicating that approximately 100,000 children face sexual harassment daily on the company’s platforms.
