Why New Mexico is taking Meta to court

Here & Now Anytime

NPR

News

4.1 • 953 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2026

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

New Mexico's Department of Justice says Meta has knowingly allowed the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook to become the "largest online marketplace for predators seeking to exploit children." NM Attorney General Raúl Torrez tells us about the "shocking" evidence he says his office has uncovered as opening arguments in the state's lawsuit against Meta begin next week. Then, the last remaining nuclear arms deal between U.S. and Russia expired today. Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh explains what comes next. And, UNICEF spokesperson Jonathan Crickx is on his sixth mission to Gaza. He talks about the state of the ceasefire, the impact of recent heavy rains in the area, and the effort to bring children back to schools and learning centers.

To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for this podcast comes from Nature is the Solution, a podcast from the Nature Conservancy.
0:07.3	This show tells climate stories like a stubborn optimist, because hope, innovation, and nature itself are key to solving the challenges ahead.
0:17.0	Follow on your favorite podcast app.
0:20.7	WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Follow on your favorite podcast app.
0:23.5	WBUR Podcasts, Boston.
0:28.0	I discovered that most of the tools for kids that we had put in place during my earlier time at Facebook
0:31.2	had been removed.
0:35.9	A new lawsuit claims the company META puts children and teenagers at risk of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
0:52.2	It's Thursday, February 5th, and this is here and now anytime from NPR and WBUR Boston.
0:58.8	I'm Shiko Theuri.
1:02.1	Today on the show, for the first time since 1972, the U.S. and Russia have no limits on their nuclear arsenals.
1:09.5	What does this mean for the global arms race?
1:12.6	And children in Gaza still face so much danger despite a formal ceasefire.
1:16.6	The little girl, Rheim, she's six years old.
1:19.6	She had undergone already three surgeries to remove shrapnel she had in her belly.
1:25.6	So she needs a medical evacuation, but for the moment, she still has shrapnel in her
1:29.9	little bodies.
1:31.6	But first, the Attorney General of New Mexico is suing META, the parent company of Facebook
1:37.6	and Instagram.
1:38.9	The lawsuit claims it puts children and teens at risk of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
1:44.8	Three years ago, former meta-executive turned whistleblower, Arturo Behar, testified before Congress and said this.
1:51.6	In a carefully designed survey by Instagram in 2021, we found that one in eight kids, age 13 to 15 years old, experienced unwanted sexual advances in the last seven days.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.