Families Sue Meta Over Instagram ‘Sextortion’ Deaths – Silicon UK

The families of two teenaged boys who died by suicide after interacting with Meta’s Instagram have sued the US social media company, saying they will use internal Meta documents to support their claims of negligence. The case, filed in Delaware, involves two incidents of sexual blackmail, or “sextortion”, with one of the boys being from Pennsylvania and the other from Scotland, NBC News reported. Meta is being targeted by at least four other sexual blackmail-related lawsuits alleging Instagram is defective and that Meta has been negligent by not dealing with the problem for years, the report said. ‘Foreseeable consequence’ The cases come as Australia this month begins enforcing a ban on social media for under-16s, due to safety concerns. Matthew Bergman, the families’ lead lawyer, said the incidents were a “foreseeable consequence of the deliberate design decisions that Meta made”. He said Meta’s internal documents showed they were aware of the sexual blackmail problem and that it prioritised profits over the safety of young people. Meta did not immediately have a comment, but in a statement last year Instagram called sexual blackmail a horrific crime and said it is working with law enforcement to prosecute perpetrators and is working to
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