The parents of a 16-year-old boy who took his own life after he became the victim of online sextortion have launched a lawsuit against the internet giant Meta.
Murray Dowey, from Dunblane, was contacted on the platform by someone claiming to be a young girl, but was actually a scammer. He was tricked into sending an intimate image, which was then used to blackmail him.
Murray took his own life just hours after the interaction – he was 16 years old.
Scammers used the popular social media app Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms, Inc., to target Murray in December 2023.
Lawyers for Murray’s parents claim the trillion-dollar company "prioritised profit," resulting in missed opportunities to protect teenagers in the years leading up to his death.
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