A court in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $375m (£279m) after a jury found it misled users about the safety of its platforms for children. The ruling follows a seven-week trial where evidence showed the company’s platforms exposed minors to harmful content and contact with predators.
The jury concluded that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act by giving a false impression of safety for young users.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez described the verdict as historic, marking the first successful state lawsuit against Meta over child safety concerns.
During the trial, former Meta engineering leader Arturo Béjar testified that internal experiments revealed underage users were being exposed to sexualized content. Prosecutors also presented research showing that 16% of Instagram users reported seeing unwanted nudity or sexual activity within a single week.
Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has rejected the verdict and plans to appeal, stating it continues to invest in tools to protect young users. These include Teen Accounts and features designed to alert parents about harmful content.
The penalty reflects thousands of violations identified by the jury. Meanwhile, Meta faces additional lawsuits across the United States over similar claims related to the safety and design of its platforms.
