(Investigate TV) – New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez recently filed a lawsuit against Meta and Snap, Inc. in an effort to protect children.

“What people need to understand is that whenever they hand a device to a child in their home, they’re actually providing an opportunity for a predator in the community, anywhere in the world, to identify that child,” Torrez said.

Torrez has made it her mission to protect children from online dangers.

“The way the social media landscape has evolved — it’s just not safe for kids,” he said.

The lawsuits allege that Snapchat’s policies and recommendation algorithm encourage the sharing of child sexual abuse material and facilitate the sexual exploitation of children.

As part of his case against Meta, Torrez conducted an undercover investigation creating decoy accounts for children 14 and under.

“We created a decoy profile of what appeared to be, you know, a young woman, a young girl on the platform is actually one of our undercover agents,” Torrez explained. “And it was amazing how quickly she was contacted and asked for sex.”

Torrez wants to see legislative action from Congress to strengthen social media security.

In the meantime, he advises parents to actively monitor their children’s online activity and discuss the importance of not sharing private information with strangers.

Our national investigation team has reached out Snap, Inc. and Meta for comment A Meta spokesperson said in a statement that it has developed new tools for parents and teens.

In particular, the company says it has created “teenage accounts” on Instagram. These accounts limit who can contact them and the content they see.

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