Meta on trial over child safety: can it really protect its next generation of users?

Meta on trial over child safety: can it really protect its next generation of users? New Mexico prosecutors allege Meta prioritized profit, even as child abuse surged on Instagram and Facebook Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Meta is facing a reckoning over its child safety practices as a trial surfaces fresh allegations that the company prioritized profit incentives and engagement over protecting children. The landmark trial in New Mexico has now completed its fifth week, with the state attorney general resting the case on 5 March. Proceedings are expected to continue for another week as Meta presents its defense before the jury begins deliberations. Central to the case are internal company documents obtained by the attorney general’s office during discovery, including emails between Meta executives flagging urgent issues of exploitation on Facebook and Instagram . “Data shows that Instagram had become the leading two-sided marketplace for human trafficking,” stated one email to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, sent from a member of Meta’s product team in 2019, which was read in court. Prosecutors have presented evidence they say demonstrates delays and deficiencies in Meta’s ability to detect and report harms to children on its platforms, including the distribution of child sexual abuse material – photos and videos of the sexual exploitation of children – and child trafficking. In both the New Mexico trial and concurrent court proceedings in Los Angeles , Facebook and Instagram features have also come under scrutiny for their alleged impact on children’s mental health. The plaintiffs claim the social networks are intentionally addictive and amplify content promoting self-harm, suicidal ideation and body dysmorphia. The defense has vigorously rejected the attorney general’s allegations as “sensationalist, irrelevant and distracting arguments” and that it goes to great efforts to make its platforms safe and continues ...