New Mexico A.G. Talks Lawsuits vs Meta and Snap Inc. for Enabling Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Leslie is joined by Raul Torrez, Attorney General of New Mexico. Torrez is a career state and federal prosecutor who has served at every level of the justice system. Since taking office as New Mexico’s 32nd Attorney General in 2023, he has made protecting children a central priority—holding major tech companies accountable for enabling online abuse and investigating systemic failures in the child welfare system.  The two discuss Torrez's lawsuits against Meta and Snap Inc. In December 2023, A.G. Torrez filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging that Facebook and Instagram enabled child sexual abuse and human trafficking. The complaint details how Meta's platforms allowed predators to exploit minors and how the company's algorithms contributed to the spread of harmful content. In September 2024, A.G. Torrez filed a lawsuit against Snap Inc., alleging that Snapchat's design features and algorithms facilitated child sexual exploitation and sextortion. The lawsuit claims that Snapchat misled users about the safety of its platform, particularly regarding disappearing messages, and failed to implement adequate safeguards for minors. Lastly, the pair shares information and resources on how parents can help protect their children online, and how to detect if their child may have experienced sexual abuse or exploitation online. There's some great information and resources on the New Mexico government's website specifically for parents to help navigate these issues. Visit NMDOJ.gov to view their internet safety page and their Sextortion guide.