Meta Facilitates Drug Sales to Teens, But Will This Letter Change Anything?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Ads for illicit drugs have appeared on Facebook and Instagram, prompting a bipartisan group of lawmakers to send a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to address the issue.
“The House members cited recent reports from The Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project [TTP], which uncovered a flood of ads on Facebook and Instagram that pointed users to third-party services where they could purchase prescription pills, cocaine and other recreational drugs,” CNBC reported.
“On March 16, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. federal prosecutors have been investigating Meta for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs,” the lawmakers wrote. “Instead of quickly addressing the issue and fully removing the illicit content, on July 31, 2024, the Wall Street Journal again reported that Meta was ‘running ads on Facebook and Instagram that steer users to online marketplaces for illegal drugs.’”
TTP’s July investigation found over 450 ads selling pharmaceuticals and other drugs on Instagram and Facebook over the last several months.
Additionally, investigations conducted in 2021 and 2022 “showed how Instagram allowed teens as young as 13 to find drugs for sale on the platform in as little as two clicks.”
The accessibility and visibility of drugs to young people is a particular concern
“In 2022, an average of 22 minors, ages 14 to 18, died in the U.S. each week from drug overdoses,” the letter explains. This is driven not by an increase in illicit drug use, but rather by the contents of drugs becoming deadlier due to the influx of fentanyl into the United States. Fentanyl is often found in counterfeit oxycodone, benzodiazepines, and other prescription pills – all of which have been found on your platforms, including in advertisements.”
Engadget reported, “The letter requests details about Meta’s policies for enforcing rules against drug-related ads, as well as information about how many times the reported ads were viewed and interacted with. It gives Meta a deadline of September 6 to reply.”
Meta asserts that it works with law enforcement to combat drug dealers, “criminals who work across platforms and communities.”
The statement continues, “Our systems are designed to proactively detect and enforce against violating content, and we reject hundreds of thousands of ads for violating our drug policies. We continue to invest resources and further improve our enforcement on this kind of content. Our hearts go out to those suffering from the tragic consequences of this epidemic — it requires all of us to work together to stop it.”
Movieguide® previously reported on how Facebook enables drug dealers:
The Wall Street Journal uncovered evidence that Facebook is complacent while drug cartels and human traffickers use their site to conduct illegal business.
WSJ reporters Justin Scheck, Newley Purnell, and Jeff Horwitz highlighted the details of the documents in a report titled, “Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers. The Company’s Response Is Weak, Documents Show.”
The report notes that a former police officer investigated Facebook and sent out a memo that outlined some shocking discoveries.
“It began ‘Happy 2021 to everyone!!’ and then proceeded to detail a new set of what he called ‘learnings.’ The biggest one: A Mexican drug cartel was using Facebook to recruit, train and pay hit men,” the article reads.
WSJ claims that despite the information clearly being brought to Facebook’s attention, the company took no significant, effective action.
