In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, we sit down with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez for a wide-ranging conversation about his office’s landmark case against Meta and what it reveals about the dangers embedded in today’s social media platforms. At the center of the case is “Issa,” a fictional teenage user created as part of an undercover operation that exposed just how quickly young users can be targeted with explicit content and sexual solicitations. Torres walks us through how what once existed in the darkest corners of the internet has migrated onto mainstream platforms—and how Meta’s own algorithms and product design not only failed to stop it, but in some cases appeared to amplify it. By focusing on design choices rather than user-generated content, Torres and his team were able to sidestep Section 230 protections and argue that the platform itself plays an active role in facilitating harm.
The conversation also explores the broader implications of the case, from the addictive nature of social media to its parallels with Big Tobacco. TorreZ argues that waiting for definitive long-term studies on harm is a luxury we can’t afford, pointing instead to the immediate psychological, social, and physical risks facing young users. Looking ahead, he outlines potential remedies—including age verification, algorithmic reform, and independent oversight—as well as ongoing litigation against other platforms like Snapchat. The discussion closes with a warning about the next frontier: artificial intelligence. Without clear accountability and proactive regulation, Torrez suggests, the harms posed by AI could eclipse those of social media. This case, then, may represent not just a legal victory, but the beginning of a broader shift toward tech accountability in the United States.
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