Name: Parents of teenage sextortion victim sue Meta | BBC News
Uploaded: 2025-12-18T16:55:27.000Z
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A couple whose teenage son took his own life after being blackmailed on Instagram are suing the platform's owner, Meta, in what's thought to be the first case of its kind involving a British family.

The parents of Murray Dowie, who was 16 when he became a victim of what's known as sextortion, a claim that Instagram isn't safe.

Meta says it's supporting law enforcement.

Just 16 and a victim of sextortion, Murray Dowie.

He was just a really popular, lovely, lovely boy on Instagram.

He was tricked by criminals in Nigeria, sent intimate pictures.

They demanded money, threatened to share the images.

The worst thing that could possibly happen to us has happened.

There's nothing that Meta can do that is worse than what's happened.

So we're up for the fight and, you know, we'll take it as far as we can.

She's not alone in her campaign to rein in Silicon Valley.

This year, Roz and other bereaved British parents traveled to New York, protesting outside Meta's offices, demanding to know why the company didn't protect their children.

Then Meta said it recognized their concerns and had made significant changes, adding protections to teen accounts and on screen warnings about talking to people abroad.

But from countries like Nigeria, the criminals continue to bully and blackmail young people.

I will be giving you guys how you can start blackmailing Wes.

Extortion has become an industry and gangs exploit the weaknesses of platforms like Instagram, even selling criminal DIY guides for kids.

Once you get those pictures from their social media handles, you are good to go.

We confronted one scammer who showed no remorse.

This is just like a job, like an industry.

These are the suspected Internet fraudster.

Police in Nigeria are trying to shut down the gangs, but are overwhelmed by the scale.

And here in the uk, a warning from the National Crime Agency attempting to get ahead of the criminals.

There's loads of things I feel guilty and I wish I'd done, but

for Murray's parents, Mark and Ros, speaking to us last year, that's not enough.

The technologies are there for them to stop so many of these crimes be perpetrated, so much of the harm being shown and then forced onto kids through algorithms.

How have we got to this point where someday making some money for shareholders is, is more important than children dying?

One grieving family trying to hold Big Tech to account.

We can't have this happening to more children like what happened to Maddie.