Meta will soon appear in court in New Mexico, accused of failing to do enough to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms. As the trial date approaches, Meta's attorneys are working hard to limit the remedies that can be used against the company in court.
According to publicly available information reviewed by Wirethe company wants to block research on the impact of social media on young people's mental health, stories about teen suicide linked to social media, any mention of Meta's finances, the company's past privacy breaches, and even CEO Mark Zuckerberg's college years.
These efforts are part of a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in late 2023. The state accuses Meta of failing to protect minors from online predators, human trafficking and sexual exploitation on its platforms. The case alleged that Meta allegedly allowed vulgar materials to reach minors and failed to implement appropriate child safety measures.
Notably, this lawsuit is believed to be the first of its kind at the state level, which is scheduled to begin on February 2.
It's pretty standard for Meta to try to keep things as narrow as possible. However, two legal experts who spoke to Wired believe the company's efforts to withhold so much information are unusually broad, including requests not to mention AI chatbots.
Additionally, Meta asked the court to block any mention of a public health warning issued by former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy regarding the impact of social media on youth mental health. The company also does not want surveys (including its own) about the amount of inappropriate content on its platforms. He argues that all this information is irrelevant or could unfairly influence the jury.
