Meta ordered to pay $375M in New Mexico child safety lawsuit

A jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico, ordered Meta on Tuesday to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The jury found that the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and endangered children. The verdict, reached after a six-week trial, found Meta liable under the state’s Unfair Practices Act, a consumer protection law. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the decision a watershed moment for parents concerned about online child safety, stating that the jury had joined families, educators, and experts in demanding change.

The legal action stemmed from a 2023 undercover investigation where state investigators created decoy accounts on Facebook and Instagram posing as users younger than 14. These accounts received sexually explicit material and solicitations, resulting in the arrests of several men in May 2024, including two apprehended at a motel expecting to meet a 12-year-old girl. Torrez alleged that Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew.

Former Meta employees testified about these internal warnings. Arturo Béjar, who spent six years as an engineering and product leader at Meta starting in 2009, testified about trying to warn executives after his 14-year-old daughter received unwanted advances on Instagram. Béjar testified, “The product is very good at connecting people with interests, and if your interest is little girls, it will be really good at connecting you with little girls.” Brian Boland, a former vice president of partnerships product marketing who spent nearly a dozen years at the company before leaving in 2020, testified that he did not believe safety was a priority for CEO Mark Zuckerberg and former COO Sheryl Sandberg. In a recorded deposition, Zuckerberg described research on platform addiction as inconclusive. A Meta spokesperson stated that the company respectfully disagrees with the verdict and works hard to keep people safe, noting that Meta plans to appeal.

The verdict comes amid wider legal scrutiny for the company. Meta and YouTube are currently involved in a trial in Los Angeles, California, over claims that their platforms are addictive and have harmed young users. That case was brought by K.G.M., a 20-year-old plaintiff who claims she became addicted to social media as a child. Meanwhile, the second phase of the New Mexico case is scheduled to begin May 4. This phase will be a bench trial—meaning a trial without a jury—focusing on public nuisance claims. The state argues that Meta’s platforms have broadly harmed the health and safety of New Mexico residents.

Why it matters

This verdict marks the first jury decision of its kind against Meta regarding harm to young people. The outcome could set a precedent for other ongoing legal challenges across the country as states seek to hold social media platforms accountable for user safety.