Meta is accused of enabling the sexual exploitation of minors; trial to begin next week in New Mexico, USA

Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta (META.US) will face a lawsuit trial next week filed by the state of New Mexico, which accuses Meta's platforms of enabling sexual exploitation of children and adolescents and profiting from it. This is the first case of its kind against Meta to enter jury trial proceedings. The case will have jury selection on Monday at the Santa Fe District Court, with the trial expected to last seven to eight weeks.

Meta denies the allegations and states that the company has extensive safeguards in place to protect young users.

The lawsuit was filed by New Mexico's Democratic Attorney General Raul Torrez, alleging that Meta promotes illegal content on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms and facilitates the sexual exploitation of minors, allowing offenders unrestricted access to underage users, leading to real-world sexual assault and human trafficking