Matthew Landua

A Tyler man has been indicted for allegedly intentionally and knowingly promoting child pornography in over 400 images or videos of female minors on a social media outlet.

Matthew Kyle Landua, 25, was indicted on a charge of possession with intent to promote child pornography Nov. 14. He had been booked into the Smith County Jail on Sept. 26. He has a surety bond of $750,000, according to the indictment.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the Tyler Police Department contacted the Smith County Sheriff’s Office about a child pornography case outside the city limits. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children gave a report and photos from Tumblr to the sheriff’s office.

The photos and videos included females under 18 as well as adult males engaging in sexual conduct with minors, according to investigators. The images were uploaded with the Tumblr account called “youngisbetterr.” The IP address was tracked to Landua’s address, according to the document.

Authorities interviewed Landua at the residence after a search warrant was issued April 1. He admitted to viewing porn weekly and sharing images on the “youngisbetterr” Tumblr account. He said he had not been on Tumblr for six to seven months, which coincided with the website deactivating his account in October 2018, the affidavit reads.

On Aug. 15, Tumblr gave 562 files related to Landua’s account to authorities. Of these, 410 files include pornographic images and videos of female minors, according to the affidavit.