Social Media Sexual Exploitation Attorney
Being sexually exploited or harassed on social media is a deeply devastating experience that can leave lifelong scars, even if no physical abuse was involved.
Survivors of this cruel victimization often feel vulnerability, anger, and a profound sense of betrayal when their trust is violated in such a public and personal way.
Making a social media account has never been easier. Anyone can create an account and interact with others online with just a few easy clicks.
However, this accessibility has also opened the doors for sexual predators to exploit young people. Anyone can be anyone online, and many sexual predators pose as teenagers or young adults to lure their victims into online conversations.
With the rise of social media use among teens and young adults, the prevalence of sexual exploitation on these platforms has significantly increased. Certain platforms' features, such as direct messaging and photo sharing, are often manipulated by predators to groom and exploit their victims.
The anonymity offered by the internet can encourage perpetrators, making it challenging for law enforcement to track and prosecute them. The vast nature of social media networks often allows such unlawful activities to go unnoticed. Inappropriate content can occur in many ways. From disturbing graphic materials and content containing profanities to sexually obscene materials, the internet is full of harmful content.
Unsupervised access to social media sites and unrestricted internet use has allowed some children to come across explicit content, leaving them vulnerable to harmful effects. Under California law, survivors of sexual exploitation that occurs via social media or other online platforms have the right to take legal action and pursue civil damages, regardless of whether any criminal prosecution results from the incident(s).
These claims can help hold the responsible parties accountable and provide financial compensation to support your recovery. However, proving liability and claiming compensation can be more complicated than expected, especially when no physical sexual abuse took place.
At the Injury Justice Law Firm, our California sexual abuse attorneys have extensive experience with complicated claims like these, and we will work tirelessly to get you properly compensated for these violations.
Types of Sexual Exploitation on Social Media
Social media platforms have enhanced the way we connect, but they've also become tools for those who wish to exploit others. Many forms of sexual exploitation occur online, including but not limited to the following:
- Sextortion: Offenders manipulate or threaten individuals into sharing explicit photos or videos. Often, they use these images to demand further exploitative acts or monetary gain.
- Online Grooming: Predators target young individuals, forming seemingly friendly relationships with the intention of exploiting, abusing, or blackmailing them.
- Non-Consensual Distribution or Sharing of Explicit Material: This occurs when private photos or videos are shared without the consent of the person involved, sometimes referred to as "revenge porn."
- Development and Circulation of Child Exploitative Material: Sadly, many online predators use social media to sexually exploit minors, producing and sharing harmful and illegal content.
- Trafficking Recruitment: Social media can also serve as a platform for predators to lure individuals into dangerous or exploitative environments, including human trafficking.
Long-Term Impacts of Being Sexually Victimized
Sexual victimization on social media can cause life-altering consequences, impacting every aspect of a survivor's life. These effects extend far beyond the victimization itself. Survivors may face emotional, psychological, and even physical challenges in the aftermath, such as:
- Severe Emotional Trauma: Many survivors experience depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and feelings of shame or guilt.
- Fear and Loss of Trust: A once safe space, such as social media, can become a source of dread. Interacting online or engaging in real-world relationships may become extremely difficult.
- Social Isolation: Survivors may withdraw from their social connections, fearful of judgment, exposure, or further harm.
- Employment and Educational Consequences: Explicit content posted online or reputational damage can affect personal or professional goals.
- Financial Hardships: The costs of therapy, loss of income, and other recovery-related expenses can build up over time.
Acknowledging and addressing these impacts is key to moving forward. Through a civil claim, you can pursue damages that support your recovery, including medical and psychological care, lost wages, and the emotional distress you've endured.
Who Can Be Held Liable for Damages?
Social media companies have been subject to several lawsuits involving minors who fell victim to online sexual exploitation.
All major social media companies, such as Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook and Instagram), ByteDance Inc. (TikTok), X Corp. (X or formerly Twitter), Discord Inc., Google (YouTube), and Snap (Snapchat), have faced large amounts of legal complaints involving mental health disorders, addiction, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Some of the lawsuits claim that these platforms did not do enough to prevent or remove explicit content featuring minors on their sites.
When seeking justice, it is not only the perpetrator who can be held accountable. There are often multiple parties involved who may share the responsibility for the harm you were caused. Potential defendants in a sexual exploitation case may include the following:
- The Offender: The individual who committed the exploitation is directly responsible for their reprehensible actions.
- Social Media Platforms: In some cases, platforms have been found to fail in providing adequate safeguards, such as monitoring prohibited content or responding to user-reported violations.
- Organizations or Employers: If the offender acted within the scope of their employment or used organizational resources during the exploitation, their employer may also share responsibility.
- Other Negligent Third Parties: Any entity or individual whose negligent actions enabled the exploitation may also be liable.
Our team will conduct a thorough investigation into your case, identifying all potential defendants and holding them accountable to prevent them from harming others in the future.
Statute of Limitations
Understanding the time limitations for filing a claim is critical. These timeframes, known as statutes of limitations, establish the deadline for pursuing a civil lawsuit.
Fortunately, California law provides extended periods for survivors of sexual exploitation cases, recognizing the sensitive and often delayed nature of reporting such harm:
- Adult survivors typically have up to 10 years from the date when the sexual victimization occurred to file a claim.
- If the harm is discovered later, for example, due to suppressed memory or delayed realization of the exploitation's impact, survivors have up to 3 years from the date of discovery to take legal action, which may extend past the original 10-year deadline.
- For minors affected by online sexual exploitation, the law may allow them to file a claim as late as their 40th birthday. This extended window acknowledges the unique challenges children face in understanding and reporting abuse.
If you are unsure how these deadlines apply to your situation, our sexual abuse attorneys are here to help assess your case and provide a clear explanation of your rights.
Social Networking Sites Lawsuits
Social media harm lawsuits typically allege that the engineering and design behind social media platforms are negligent.
For example, from lenient content moderation policies to algorithms that recommend harmful content, social media companies are alleged to play a role in the exacerbation of mental health disorders and in creating an environment where predators can prey on unsuspecting minors.
Primary to these legal actions is the Social Media Addiction, which consolidates a variety of claims against these companies, highlighting their alleged complicity in creating environments conducive to exploitation and addiction. Many plaintiffs have argued that these platforms have failed to adequately protect users, particularly minors, from the inherent dangers associated with their design and operation.
The lawsuits further claim that by prioritizing engagement over safety, these companies have breached their duty of care to their users. This emerging legal framework seeks to hold social media giants accountable for the psychological and physical harm that users may suffer.
Another main argument used in lawsuits against social media companies is the role their algorithms play in exposing minors to harmful or explicit content. Social media platforms use algorithms to recommend posts and accounts that might interest users based on their previous activity.
These algorithms, however, are designed to maximize user engagement, leading them to prioritize content over age-appropriate or safe content. For more information, contact our California sexual abuse lawyers, located in Los Angeles.
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