Meta Researcher Alerts Executives to Growing Child Exploitation Crisis on Platforms
FOX Business correspondent Madison Alworth explores the FBI’s allegations against social media companies and Meta’s defense on The Big Money Show.
A researcher for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has raised alarming concerns regarding the potential for over 500,000 cases of sexual exploitation of minors occurring daily on these platforms.
On Monday, Meta will face a court hearing as opening arguments commence in a case initiated by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of exposing children to “sexual exploitation and mental health harm” through their interactions on the platform.
According to a court filing obtained by FOX Business, Malia Andrus, who held child safety roles at Meta from 2017 to 2024, indicated in an internal email that sexually inappropriate messages were sent to approximately 500,000 victims daily in English-speaking markets alone.
Andrus expressed concern in a June 2020 email, stating, “We expect the true situation is worse.” These emails were first reported by the New York Post.
Signage outside Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Meta Platforms Inc. is set to start cutting jobs across the company as it restructures teams and works toward founder Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of greater efficiency. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Andrus emphasized that the vast user base of Facebook and Instagram allows predators to target children in ways that were previously unimaginable. “I just think, nowhere in the history of humanity could you have a secret conversation with 1,000 people,” she remarked. “I’m actually scared of the ramifications here.”
She also highlighted challenges with age verification on the platform, describing it as a “chicken and egg problem.” According to Andrus, if the age prediction is incorrect, it hampers their ability to identify potential threats. “Almost every time they encounter an age liar on IG (in a child safety context), the age prediction is incorrect,” she noted.
A computer screen displays the Meta logo while a mobile phone in the foreground shows Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Arda Kucukkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In response to these allegations, a Meta spokesperson clarified to FOX Business that the figures discussed in the 2020 email do not refer to individual victims or incidents of child exploitation. They stated, “The measurement technology we used at the time employed an overly broad set of criteria, resulting in the counting of many benign interactions.” They also noted that the number significantly decreased after refining their measurement technology.
Since 2020, Meta has implemented various measures to mitigate potential grooming and inappropriate interactions with children. These include preventing adults from initiating private chats with teens they are not connected to and utilizing improved behavioral signals to identify suspicious actors.
The New Mexico case is just one of several legal challenges facing Meta. The company is also involved in a case in California state court, where the focus is on whether Instagram has negatively impacted a woman’s mental health, contributing to her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is anticipated to testify during the California trial, which the judge aims to conclude by the end of March.
META SUED AFTER TEEN BOYS’ SUICIDES, FAMILIES CLAIM TECH GIANT IGNORED ‘SEXTORTION’ SCHEMES
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg may testify in the California trial. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The lawsuit also includes allegations against Alphabet’s Google, the parent company of YouTube. Google spokesperson José Castañeda stated that the allegations against YouTube are “simply not true,” emphasizing their commitment to providing a safer experience for young users.
Initially, other social media platforms, including TikTok and Snap, were part of the lawsuit but settled with the plaintiff before the trial commenced. The lawyers representing the woman, identified as K.G.M., aim to demonstrate that the social media companies were negligent in their app designs and failed to adequately warn users about associated risks. The jury may consider awarding damages for pain and suffering, as well as punitive damages.
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The companies plan to highlight other factors in the young woman’s life that may have contributed to her mental health challenges while also outlining their efforts to protect young users and distance themselves from harmful content.
Reuters contributed to this report.
FOX Business correspondent Madison Alworth explores the FBI’s allegations against social media companies and Meta’s defense on The Big Money Show.
A researcher for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has raised alarming concerns regarding the potential for over 500,000 cases of sexual exploitation of minors occurring daily on these platforms.
On Monday, Meta will face a court hearing as opening arguments commence in a case initiated by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of exposing children to “sexual exploitation and mental health harm” through their interactions on the platform.
According to a court filing obtained by FOX Business, Malia Andrus, who held child safety roles at Meta from 2017 to 2024, indicated in an internal email that sexually inappropriate messages were sent to approximately 500,000 victims daily in English-speaking markets alone.
Andrus expressed concern in a June 2020 email, stating, “We expect the true situation is worse.” These emails were first reported by the New York Post.
Signage outside Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Meta Platforms Inc. is set to start cutting jobs across the company as it restructures teams and works toward founder Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of greater efficiency. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Andrus emphasized that the vast user base of Facebook and Instagram allows predators to target children in ways that were previously unimaginable. “I just think, nowhere in the history of humanity could you have a secret conversation with 1,000 people,” she remarked. “I’m actually scared of the ramifications here.”
She also highlighted challenges with age verification on the platform, describing it as a “chicken and egg problem.” According to Andrus, if the age prediction is incorrect, it hampers their ability to identify potential threats. “Almost every time they encounter an age liar on IG (in a child safety context), the age prediction is incorrect,” she noted.
A computer screen displays the Meta logo while a mobile phone in the foreground shows Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Arda Kucukkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In response to these allegations, a Meta spokesperson clarified to FOX Business that the figures discussed in the 2020 email do not refer to individual victims or incidents of child exploitation. They stated, “The measurement technology we used at the time employed an overly broad set of criteria, resulting in the counting of many benign interactions.” They also noted that the number significantly decreased after refining their measurement technology.
Since 2020, Meta has implemented various measures to mitigate potential grooming and inappropriate interactions with children. These include preventing adults from initiating private chats with teens they are not connected to and utilizing improved behavioral signals to identify suspicious actors.
The New Mexico case is just one of several legal challenges facing Meta. The company is also involved in a case in California state court, where the focus is on whether Instagram has negatively impacted a woman’s mental health, contributing to her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is anticipated to testify during the California trial, which the judge aims to conclude by the end of March.
META SUED AFTER TEEN BOYS’ SUICIDES, FAMILIES CLAIM TECH GIANT IGNORED ‘SEXTORTION’ SCHEMES
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg may testify in the California trial. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The lawsuit also includes allegations against Alphabet’s Google, the parent company of YouTube. Google spokesperson José Castañeda stated that the allegations against YouTube are “simply not true,” emphasizing their commitment to providing a safer experience for young users.
Initially, other social media platforms, including TikTok and Snap, were part of the lawsuit but settled with the plaintiff before the trial commenced. The lawyers representing the woman, identified as K.G.M., aim to demonstrate that the social media companies were negligent in their app designs and failed to adequately warn users about associated risks. The jury may consider awarding damages for pain and suffering, as well as punitive damages.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The companies plan to highlight other factors in the young woman’s life that may have contributed to her mental health challenges while also outlining their efforts to protect young users and distance themselves from harmful content.
Reuters contributed to this report.
