The plaintiffs’ brief alleges that Meta was aware that its platforms were endangering young users, including by exacerbating adolescents’ mental health issues. According to the plaintiffs, Meta frequently detected content related to eating disorders, child sexual abuse, and suicide but refused to remove it. For example, one 2021 internal company survey found that more than 8 percent of respondents aged 13 to 15 had seen someone harm themself or threaten to harm themself on Instagram during the past week. The brief also makes clear that Meta fully understood the addictive nature of its products, with plaintiffs citing a message by one user-experience researcher at the company that Instagram “is a drug” and, “We’re basically pushers.”

Perhaps most relevant to state child endangerment laws, the plaintiffs have alleged that Meta knew that millions of adults were using its platforms to inappropriately contact minors. According to their filing, an internal company audit found that Instagram had recommended 1.4 million potentially inappropriate adults to teenagers in a single day in 2022. The brief also details how Instagram’s policy was to not take action against sexual solicitation until a user had been caught engaging in the “trafficking of humans for sex” a whopping 17 times. As Instagram’s former head of safety and well-being, Vaishnavi Jayakumar, reportedly testified, “You could incur 16 violations for prostitution and sexual solicitation, and upon the seventeenth violation, your account would be suspended.”

  • marx@piefed.socialOP
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    11 hours ago

    Americans, as a general population, don’t give a shit about Myanmar, may not know it even exists. They don’t really care or know about video view controversies and the like.

    One thing they do care A LOT about, is their kids. And the evidence is strong that Mark Zuckerberg and Meta executives knew children, on a mass scale, were being endangered by their products and deliberately, purposely allowed it to continue. They need to be prosecuted. If nobody even tries, then we’ve already lost.

    • FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website
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      8 hours ago

      Americans, as a general population, don’t give a shit about Myanmar, may not know it even exists.

      I would say that’s irrelevant for the crimes committed. And not just Americans would struggle to find Myanmar on a map. Or really care what’s going on there unless it’s rooting out phishing farms using abducted foreigners.

      I commend your view on the matter, that when it comes to their children they will do something. That may turn out to be true. However, that’s not going to be enough to get anyone at meta convicted under the current laws. They are running under a cover of diffuse authority and supervision internally and section 230 externally. Abhorent drug pusher comments are not admissions of guilt. They have good lawyers. We need new laws, more regulation, and fines that make Wall Street worried.

      • architect@thelemmy.club
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        9 hours ago

        America isn’t unique. Look at the British pedophiles the Japanese pedophiles and what they do to little boys in half the world like the Middle East. America LOL meanwhile they cut clits off little girls in Africa.

        No one cares about kids. Save your America shame.

    • architect@thelemmy.club
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      9 hours ago

      I promise you people don’t give a shit about kids or their kids. I was once one and not a single fucking adult gave a shit about the sexual abuse. They get mad at the kids instead. I’ve been there. Actions speak louder than words. Kids are getting shot. Adults do not care about kids as a whole.

    • fishos@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      Honestly, I care a dick load more about Myanmar and enabling genocide than “but think of the children!”. That’s one of the laziest and most misued calls to action and at this point, I honestly dgaf when I hear it. It’s just propaganda at this point.

      Don’t be so quick to stereotype us. You’re insulting those of use who do pay attention.