Meta is about to go on trial in New Mexico, accused of not doing enough to protect kids from sexual exploitation on its platforms. As the court date gets closer, Meta’s lawyers are working hard to limit what can be used against the company in court.
According to public records reviewed by Wired, the company wants to block research about social media’s impact on youth mental health, stories about teen suicides linked to social media, any mention of Meta’s finances, the company’s past privacy violations, and even things about 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, trafficking, and sexual abuse on its platforms. The case claims Meta allegedly allowed explicit material to reach minors and didn’t put adequate child safety measures in place.
Notably, this lawsuit is considered the first trial of its kind at the state level, scheduled to begin on February 2.
It’s fairly standard that Meta would try to keep the case as narrow as possible. However, two legal experts who talked to Wired believe the company’s attempt to keep out so much information is unusually broad, including its requests not to mention its AI chatbots.
Additionally, Meta requested that the court block any mention of a public health warning issued by former U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy regarding social media’s effect on youth mental health. The company also doesn’t want surveys (including its own) about the amount of inappropriate content on its platforms. It argues that all this information is irrelevant or could unfairly sway the jury.
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