A New Mexico jury has found Meta liable for failing to protect young people from online dangers, including sexually explicit content, solicitation and human trafficking.
According to Reuters Jurors said Meta misled consumers about the safety of Facebook and Instagram and broke the state’s consumer protection laws. They hit it with a $375 million (€323 million) civil penalty, the maximum for each violation, even though Meta made 160 times that in revenue in its most recent quarter.
New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez said, “The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety. Today the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough.”
The case is one of dozens brought by state attorneys general trying to pin legal responsibility on social media platforms for harm done to minors. Another jury is still deliberating in Los Angeles in a case where a young woman says companies built intentionally addictive products that trashed her mental health.
Torrez sued Meta in 2023 after an undercover investigation used decoy accounts posing as children aged 14 or younger. Prosecutors said the platforms steered underage users towards explicit images, let adults solicit pornographic images and enabled the sharing and selling of illegal child sexual abuse material.
Meta says it will appeal. Meta spokesman Andy Stone said, “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. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
During the weeks-long trial, prosecutors leaned on internal documents and testimony to argue that Meta ignored warnings about predators and product design that kept children hooked. Meta denied the claims and said it has spent years investing in safety, even if it comes at the cost of audience growth.
In May 2026, a New Mexico judge will hear arguments on extra damages and possible platform changes, including effective age verification and stronger action against predators. Prosecutors want tougher protections to prevent encrypted messaging from shielding bad actors.
