A jury in New Mexico has found Meta Platforms liable for violating state consumer protection laws and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties over claims related to child safety on its platforms.
The verdict, delivered on Tuesday after less than a day of deliberation, followed a lawsuit filed by the state’s attorney general accusing Meta of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, while enabling child sexual exploitation.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez described the ruling as a “historic victory,” saying it sends a strong message that technology companies can be held accountable for user safety.
The case stemmed from a 2023 undercover investigation in which state officials created accounts posing as users under 14. According to prosecutors, the accounts were exposed to explicit content and contacted by adults seeking sexual interactions, leading to multiple criminal charges.
During the six-week trial in Santa Fe, the state argued that Meta failed to implement adequate safety measures, including effective age verification, despite internal knowledge of risks to minors. It also accused the company of designing features such as infinite scroll and autoplay to maximise engagement at the expense of young users’ mental health.
Meta denied the allegations, maintaining that it has robust safety systems and transparent disclosures in place. The company said it would appeal the verdict.
The jury found 75,000 violations and imposed a $5,000 penalty for each, significantly below the more than $2 billion sought by the state.
The case is part of a broader wave of legal challenges facing Meta and other social media firms over allegations that their platforms contribute to youth addiction and mental health issues. A separate phase of the trial, scheduled for May, will determine whether further penalties or platform changes will be imposed.
