Exclusive: Lawsuit is the first UK case of its kind, with Ros and Mark Dowey accusing Meta of ‘putting profit before our young people’
The parents of a 16-year-old who took his own life after he fell victim to a sextortion gang on Instagram are suing Meta for the alleged wrongful death of their son, in the first UK case of its kind.
Murray Dowey died in December 2023 at his family home in Dunblane, after being tricked into sending intimate pictures to an Instagram contact. He thought it was a girl his own age, but it turned out to be overseas criminals involved in financially motivated sexual extortion.
Speaking as the lawsuit was filed in Delaware, where Meta Platforms is incorporated, Murray’s parents Ros and Mark said: “We know what we’re up against. But it’s time social media companies took accountability for what they’ve done to our young people.
“It’s not just sextortion, they’re causing multiple harms, and they’ve been allowed to get away with it.”
