A jury in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $375 million in damages, ruling that the social media company harmed children’s mental health and exposed them to sexual exploitation.
The decision was delivered on Tuesday following a six-week trial in which state officials accused the tech giant of failing to adequately safeguard minors on its platforms.
The ruling represents the first successful lawsuit by a US state against Meta over child safety concerns.
Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, is currently facing numerous legal challenges tied to the impact of its platforms on young users’ well-being.
Jurors backed the state’s argument that the company placed profits ahead of user safety, thereby breaching provisions of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act.
They concluded that Meta made deceptive or misleading representations and engaged in “unconscionable” trade practices that exploited the vulnerability and inexperience of children.
During the proceedings, jurors examined extensive evidence, including testimony from 40 witnesses—among them former employees who acted as whistle-blowers—as well as hundreds of internal documents, reports, and emails.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.”
The lawsuit was initiated in 2023 by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, who filed the case against Meta and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg. The legal action followed an undercover investigation in which authorities created accounts posing as users under the age of 14 on Facebook and Instagram.
According to Torrez’s office, these test accounts were exposed to sexually explicit material and received contact from adults seeking similar content. The findings led to criminal charges against several individuals.
In response to the verdict, Torrez described the outcome as “a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety”.
“The substantial damages the jury ordered Meta to pay should send a clear message to big tech executives that no company is beyond the reach of the law,” he said.
A second phase of the case is set to begin in May, during which a judge will consider whether Meta should face additional penalties and be required to implement specific changes to its platforms and corporate practices.
Meanwhile, a separate jury in California is deliberating on whether Meta and YouTube can be held accountable for alleged harms to children, including claims that their platforms are intentionally addictive. That case is widely seen as a potential benchmark that could shape thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies across the United States.
