Attorney General Ashley Moody is demanding Meta immediately cease monetizing child exploitation and prohibit child-modeling accounts on Instagram, as reported in a news release on Mar 4, 2024. Moody, along with 26 other attorneys general, sent a letter to Meta demanding action to protect children online from exploitation. In the letter, Moody stated, "Meta must prohibit child-modeling accounts immediately."
The coalition of attorneys general, including representatives from Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, and other states, emphasized the urgency of the situation, citing reports that Meta refused to implement safety procedures on Instagram despite internal warnings about the platform's lack of child-safety protections. The attorneys general expressed concern that Instagram had become a platform for content that even OnlyFans, a site known for monetizing adult content, would ban.
Moody's efforts to safeguard children online have included previous actions against Meta for allegedly designing features on Instagram and other platforms to addict young users. The Attorney General also called on Congress to address child safety concerns at a hearing earlier this year, where social media CEOs, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, testified.
In response to past actions, Meta made some minor changes to enhance youth protections, such as introducing a "nightly nudges" setting. However, these efforts have not satisfied Moody, who continues to advocate for stricter measures to protect children from online exploitation.
The Attorney General's commitment to child safety extends beyond legal actions, as demonstrated by her engagement with the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking. Moody invited Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the results of a Florida human trafficking survey, which highlighted the role of social media platforms, including Meta's, in facilitating trafficking operations.
As Moody and her counterparts press Meta to address child exploitation on Instagram, the public awaits further developments in this ongoing battle to safeguard children from online harm.