Meta Sued: New Mexico Jury Finds Social Media Giant Liable for Child Harm
A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta Platforms violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, ordering the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The verdict centers on accusations that Meta misled users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp and enabled child sexual exploitation on those platforms.
The jury’s decision, reached after a six-week trial, marks the first jury verdict on claims against the social media company regarding its alleged role in facilitating child exploitation. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez accused Meta of allowing predators access to underage users and contributing to real-world abuse and human trafficking. Meta has consistently denied the allegations, asserting it has extensive safeguards in place to protect younger users.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “We work hard to preserve people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.”
The New Mexico case unfolds as Meta faces mounting legal challenges concerning the safety of young people on its platforms. A separate, ongoing federal trial in California involves parents and school districts alleging that Meta and other social media companies have caused mental health harms to children. In that case, jurors are currently deadlocked on the amount of financial damages to award, having confirmed to a judge on Monday their inability to reach consensus for one of the defendants, though it remains unclear which one.
While some social media companies have opted to settle similar lawsuits, Meta has chosen to contest these cases in court. Torrez indicated his intent to pursue changes to Meta’s app design, hoping to establish a standard that could be adopted globally. “One of the things that I am really focused on is how we can change the design features of these products, at least within New Mexico, and that would create a standard that could then be modeled elsewhere in the country, and, frankly, around the world,” he told CNBC on Tuesday.
The outcome of the California trial remains uncertain, with deliberations ongoing since March 13. Attorneys for the plaintiff, identified only as K.G.M., and defendants YouTube and Meta delivered closing arguments on March 12. The jury initially indicated it had moved beyond the liability phase and was considering financial damages before reporting the deadlock.
In February, Meta announced it would invest $65 million into two super PACs to support state candidates in California who favor less regulation of artificial intelligence and the tech industry, signaling a broader effort to influence the political landscape surrounding technology policy.