Facebook & Instagram Sex Abuse Lawsuit
Since 2023, Meta has faced numerous lawsuits nationwide alleging it has known about widespread child sexual abuse and exploitation on its Facebook and Instagram platforms but has failed to stop it. If you or your child experienced online abuse or exploitation on Facebook or Instagram, Helping Survivors can help you understand your legal rights and options.
- Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, is facing numerous lawsuits across the country for allegedly failing to protect minor users from child sexual abuse and exploitation.
- In March 2026, a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in penalties in a New Mexico lawsuit alleging that the company knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms and did not take steps to improve safety.
- If you or a loved one has been impacted by online grooming or child sexual exploitation on Facebook or Instagram, you have legal rights and options for holding the responsible parties accountable.
Do I Have a Case Against Facebook or Instagram?
If you or your child experienced any of the following through Facebook or Instagram, you may have grounds for a lawsuit against parent company Meta:
- An adult user has contacted your child via Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct Messages, and the interactions have become inappropriate, which may involve sexually suggestive messages, physical or sexual abuse, exploitation, or attempts to manipulate or control your child.
- An abuser coerced or threatened your child into sending sexually explicit materials like photos and videos through Facebook or Instagram.
- Your child met an adult in real life after connecting with them on Facebook or Instagram, and the meeting resulted in sexual abuse, rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
- Your child shows signs of depression, anxiety, or trauma, especially if they suddenly withdraw from family or social life, as a result of online sexual abuse or exploitation.
- Facebook and Instagram failed to provide adequate tools for reporting abuse, or their moderation systems fail to prevent harmful interactions, such as abusive messages, explicit content, or predatory behavior.
- You reported grooming, sexual exploitation, or harmful content to Facebook or Instagram, but the app’s operators failed to address it in a timely or effective manner.
- Facebook or Instagram failed to comply with child protection or data privacy laws, and your child has suffered harm as a result.
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Understanding Legal Rights and Options for Child Sex Abuse Survivors
Survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram have options for protecting themselves, their families, and their rights. If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse on a Meta platform, seek medical attention and preserve all available evidence, such as chat logs and screenshots. You can report the abuse, and you may also have grounds to file a civil lawsuit.
Reporting Abuse to Facebook and Instagram
Meta provides resources for reporting child sexual abuse, exploitation, and extortion on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The reporting process is confidential, and no one outside of Facebook or Meat will be notified.
Reporting to Law Enforcement
To report suspected child sexual abuse or grooming online, contact your local law enforcement agency or the appropriate child protective services agency. You can also submit a CyberTip Report to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or report the abuse to the FBI.
Resources for Survivors
National and local resources are available to online grooming and sexual exploitation survivors. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, or RAINN, offers resources and support for those affected by online grooming. RAINN also operates a National Sexual Assault Hotline, which can be reached by calling 800-656-HOPE, texting HOPE to 64673, or using the site’s online chat function.
How to File A Civil Lawsuit Against Facebook or Instagram
When taking legal action against Facebook, Instagram, or Meta for child sexual abuse or exploitation, it’s crucial to work with a child sexual abuse lawyer with experience litigating cases related to online abuse.
The process of filing a Facebook or Instagram sexual abuse lawsuit may vary based on the nature of the abuse, how long ago it occurred, the age of the victim, and more. An experienced attorney will understand the nuances of these cases and the relevant laws that may apply.
At Helping Survivors, we work to connect survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation and their families with experienced lawyers who can guide them through the legal process. These firms file civil lawsuits on behalf of survivors against the individuals, institutions, and organizations that perpetrated and enabled abuse. These lawsuits seek compensation for victims to cover the full impacts of the abuse on their lives. Get legal help today.
Are Facebook and Instagram Safe for My Child?
While social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer some protections for teenage users, such as Meta’s Teen Accounts settings, content restrictions, and parental controls, these protections are generally inadequate. It’s important to consider the potential risks and long-term effects of child sexual abuse when deciding whether to allow your child or teen to use a social media platform.
Before deciding whether to allow your child or teen to use Facebook or Instagram, do your research and have a conversation with your child about digital safety. If you do decide to allow them to use social media, be sure to enable parental controls and monitor their usage to ensure their safety.
Facebook and Instagram Lawsuits in the News
March 2026 – Meta Found Liable for Enabling Child Sexual Exploitation
A New Mexico jury ruled against Meta, ordering it to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The jury found that the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabled harm like child sexual exploitation. The New Mexico Attorney General brought the lawsuit in December 2023 following an investigation into how Facebook and Instagram had become marketplaces for child sex trafficking.
During the trial, the plaintiffs’ attorneys asserted that Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public.
December 2025 – Families Sue Meta for Child Sextortion Scams that Caused Suicides
The families of two teenage boys in Pennsylvania and Scotland who died by suicide filed suit against Meta in late 2025. The families alleged that Meta ignored the rising danger of sexual blackmail schemes targeting teens on Instagram, and that their sons fell victim to the same type of sextortion scheme thousands of miles apart.
November 2025 – California Lawsuit Calls Out Rampant Sex Trafficking on Meta Platforms
A California lawsuit alleged that sex trafficking on Meta platforms was both difficult to report and widely tolerated by the company. Instagram’s former head of safety and well-being, Vaishnavi Jayakumar, testified that the company had a 17x strike policy for accounts reported for engaging in sex trafficking, meaning it took over 16 reports for any account action to be taken.
December 2023 – Montana Attorney General Sues Meta for CSAM, Sexual Exploitation
In late 2023, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced that the state is suing Meta, alleging that the company’s misrepresentations about Instagram content violate state consumer protection laws. Knudsen said Instagram’s developers designed it to be addictive, and Meta failed to address rampant, harmful content on the platform, including sexual exploitation.
According to the lawsuit, researchers found that child sexual abuse materials, or CSAM, are prevalent and easily accessible on Instagram, and sometimes actively promoted by its algorithm. They concluded that the CSAM problem on Instagram is “particularly severe” compared to other platforms.
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