NCOSE's Dirty Dozen List names Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Snapchat among 10 others
12. Mark Zuckerberg
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the first social media founder named in NCOSE’s annual Dirty Dozen List. While the advocacy group acknowledged Zuckerberg’s 2024 apology to parents whose children were abused or exploited online, NCOSE accused Meta of continuing to prioritize profits over children’s safety.
“Meta’s platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp — have become notorious for enabling child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming, sextortion and sex trafficking. Instagram, in particular, has been a hotspot for adult-minor interactions, with internal audits revealing that its algorithms recommended 1.4 million potentially dangerous adults to teens in a single day,” the anti-sexual exploitation group warned.
“Further, Instagram once displayed a pop-up warning users about flagged potential CSAM content but included a button to 'view results anyway,’” NCOSE added. “This reckless design choice epitomizes Meta’s profit-driven approach, where engagement metrics outweigh the safety of children.”
NCOSE also highlighted Meta’s AI chatbot, launched in 2025, noting that the guidelines permit “romantic or sensual” conversations with minors and describe children using sexualized terms.
There have also been reports of child exploitation and sexual harassment in Meta’s virtual reality spaces.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate reported in 2023 that researchers “identified 19 incidents where minors were harassed by adult users, including sexually explicit harassment, racist abuse and misogyny.”
“Minors were also spotted in multiple ‘Mature Worlds’ where Meta permits sexually explicit content, legal drugs and gambling,” the report stated. “Mature Worlds must be marked as 18+, but there are no further safety measures, and they are easily accessible from the main menu or in-world ‘portals.’”
NCOSE stated that under Zuckerberg’s leadership, Meta has failed to protect children and “has actively created environments where abuse thrives — all in the name of growth and profit.”
“It’s time for Congress and regulators to hold Meta accountable and demand real, enforceable protections for children,” the advocacy group said.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
