A court in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $375 million (£279 million) for misleading users over the safety of its platforms for children.
A jury found that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, was liable for the way in which its platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said the verdict is historic and marks the first time that a state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.
A spokeswoman for Meta, led by chairman and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, said the company disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal.
She stated: We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content. We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.
The jury found that Meta was responsible for violating New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act because it misled the public about the safety of its platforms for young users.
During a trial that lasted seven weeks, jurors were presented with internal Meta documents and heard testimony from former employees about how the company had been aware of child predators using its platforms.
Arturo Béjar, a former engineering leader at Meta who quit the company in 2021 and became a whistleblower, testified to various experiments he ran on Instagram that showed underage users were served sexualized content.
He described an incident where his daughter was propositioned for sex by a stranger on Instagram.
State prosecutors presented internal Meta research indicating that 16% of all Instagram users had reported being shown unwanted nudity or sexual activity in a single week.
Meta contended it has worked to combat problematic users of its platforms and promote safe experiences for minors.
In 2024, Instagram introduced Teen Accounts, which provide young users with more control over their experiences. Recently, they launched a feature that alerts parents if their children are searching for self-harm content.
The total civil penalty of $375 million was decided after the jury concluded there were thousands of violations of the act, each carrying a maximum penalty of $5,000.
Meta is also engaged in a separate trial in Los Angeles concerning a young woman who claims that she became addicted to platforms like Instagram as a child due to their intentional design.
There are numerous similar lawsuits currently progressing through U.S. courts.
New Mexico sued Meta in 2023, alleging that the company directed young users toward sexually explicit content and solicitation through its recommendation algorithms.
Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their employees, and misled the public about what they knew, stated Torrez. Today the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough.
