A Scottish couple whose teenage son took his own life after being blackmailed on Instagram are suing the platform’s owner Meta, in what’s thought to be the first UK case of its kind.
Murray Dowey was 16 when he died in his home in Dunblane in December 2023 after he was targeted by scammers posing as a young girl.
His parents have now launched legal action against Meta in a US court seeking punitive damages claiming that Instagram was not safe. Their lawyers are claiming the company "knew of safety features that would prevent sextortion" prior to his death and instead "prioritised profit".
Meta previously said it had made real changes to Instagram, and said it supports law enforcement to prosecute the criminals behind sextortion, adding "we continue to fight them on our apps on multiple fronts".
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