Two families sue Meta over teens' deaths by suicide, citing 'sextortion' scams

Key Events - Two families, one in Pennsylvania and one in Scotland, are jointly filing a lawsuit against Meta due to the suicides of their teen sons [1] - The teen boys were victims of online extortion schemes [2] - Scammers, often located in Africa and Asia, target teen boys by posing as potential love interests [2] Modus Operandi of Scammers - Scammers use fake photos of teen girls to gain trust and solicit intimate images from the boys [3] - Once intimate images are obtained, the scammers demand money and more photos [3] - Victims often panic and may not seek help from trusted adults, leading to suicide [3] Victim Demographics and Platform Usage - One victim was 13 years old, and the other was 16 years old [4] - The 16-year-old had been on Instagram for approximately 6 years, joining when he was 10, which is against Instagram's terms of service [4] - One 13-year-old victim was targeted and died by suicide within 48 hours of joining Instagram [5][6]