New Mexico AG Torrez Demands Meta Halt ‘False’ PG-13 Claims on Instagram Teen Accounts

Albuquerque, NM – New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has sent a strongly worded letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri, accusing the company of misleading parents with exaggerated claims about its new PG-13 content moderation system for Teen Accounts.

In the letter, released December 21, 2025, Torrez criticized Meta’s October 2025 announcement that Teen Accounts—designed for users under 18—would be guided by PG-13 movie ratings. This means teens would be shielded from content involving strong language, risky stunts, or behaviors like marijuana use, while still allowing occasional suggestive elements similar to PG-13 films.

Torrez argued that Meta’s use of the PG-13 label implies a rigorous, independent oversight that doesn’t exist on the platform. “Meta’s misappropriation of the PG-13 label suggests a level of oversight that does not exist on the platform — making this announcement a dangerous promotional stunt that lulls parents into a false sense of security about the risks their children face when they use Instagram,” he wrote.

The Motion Picture Association (MPA), which administers the film rating system, has previously demanded Meta stop using the PG-13 label, calling it “literally false, deceptive, and highly misleading.”

Torrez demanded that Meta cease marketing Teen Accounts as “PG-13” and implement “meaningful safety protections,” including:

• Effective age verification

• Removal of bad actors

• Addressing algorithms that promote harmful content

• Resolving risks from end-to-end encryption

The letter comes amid an ongoing civil lawsuit filed by Torrez’s office against Meta in 2023. The suit accuses the company of failing to protect children from sexual abuse, human trafficking, and mental health harms on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. It alleges Meta’s addictive designs and algorithms expose minors to child sexual abuse material and predators.

The case, which survived Meta’s motion to dismiss, is set for trial in February 2026. It is one of many legal actions against Meta, including a separate multistate lawsuit by over 40 attorneys general alleging the company knowingly harms youth mental health through addictive features.

Meta has defended its Teen Accounts, describing them as a major safety update with default protections like private accounts, content filters, and parental supervision tools. The company says it consulted parents and refined guidelines to align with familiar standards, while acknowledging no system is perfect.

Torrez, a former prosecutor specializing in internet crimes against children, has emphasized accountability for platforms he says prioritize profits over safety.

A copy of the letter is linked from the New Mexico Department of Justice website.

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