US EditionJury orders Meta to pay $375 mln in New Mexico lawsuit over child sexual exploitation, user safety
The $375 million fine follows a jury verdict of 75,000 violations for misleading consumers and exposing children to sexual predators, marking the first state win against Meta on child safety.
- On Tuesday, a New Mexico jury found Meta violated state consumer protection law, ordering the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties for misleading the public about platform safety for children.
- The lawsuit stemmed from a 2023 undercover operation where New Mexico investigators documented how Meta's algorithms prioritized engagement over safety, creating what the state called a "breeding ground" for predators targeting children.
- Meta attorney Kevin Huff argued the company employs 40,000 staff dedicated to safety, but Meta "respectfully disagrees" with the verdict and plans to appeal the decision.
- New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the verdict "historic", stating the substantial damages send a clear message that no company is "beyond the reach of the law".
- A bench trial beginning May 4 will determine if Meta created a public nuisance, potentially mandating platform changes including age verification and stricter predator removal protocols.
254 Articles
254 Articles
Meta to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child harm, exploitation claims
A panel of New Mexican jurors has ordered Meta, the parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, to pay $375 million after finding the social media giant knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed awareness of child exploitation on its platforms. A jury released its verdict Tuesday, saying Meta concealed knowledge of child exploitation and misled its millions of users about the harm its platforms presented to children. The …
Meta told to pay $375m for misleading over child safety
A jury in New Mexico has found Meta Platforms violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and of enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms.
A jury in a court in the US state of New Mexico on Tuesday found Meta guilty of causing harm to the mental health of minors and concealing awareness of child sexual exploitation on its social platforms, US media reported.
A shocking number of children are being exposed to sexual content and solicitations on Mark Zuckerberg's platforms, and the company knows it.
The Facebook parent company Meta is repeatedly accused of not protecting young users sufficiently. A U.S. court has now imposed a million-dollar penalty: the company deceives in the security of its platforms.
Because Meta does not adequately protect minors on its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms, the Group was sentenced by the jury to pay more than $375 million in shame on Thursday at the end of a six-week trial in the US state of New Mexico. Meta announced an appeal. Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Group, the U.S. state's Attorney General's office, had accused him of not protecting minors from online access, sexual abuse and human trafficking in it…
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