Can social media companies be held accountable for online child sexual abuse?

Meta and Google are on trial in Los Angeles following a lawsuit accusing them of fueling addictive behaviors and prioritizing profit over the safety of children.

Lennon Torres, a former child performer who appeared on reality TV shows like “Dance Moms,” experienced online exploitation as a child on platforms like Instagram. She now works on campaigns to hold social media companies accountable for facilitating abuse.

Torres says, “social media platforms could easily stop strangers from being able to contact kids” and calls tech leaders “lazy” and unmotivated to truly protect and benefit their platforms’ users.