Meta ordered to pay $375m over child safety failures in New Mexico

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Mexico: A court in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $375 million (£279 million) after a jury found it misled users about the safety of its platforms for children.

The verdict held Meta. parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, liable for exposing minors to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez described the ruling as ‘historic’, marking the first successful state lawsuit against Meta over child safety concerns.

Meta, led by chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, said it disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal. A company spokesperson stated it continues to invest in safety measures and remains confident in its efforts to protect young users.

The jury found Meta violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading the public about how safe its platforms were for children.

During the seven-week trial, jurors reviewed internal company documents and heard testimony from former employees indicating that Meta was aware of child predators operating on its platforms.

Among them was whistleblower Arturo Béjar, who testified that experiments he conducted showed underage users were being served sexualised content on Instagram. He also revealed that his own daughter had been approached for sex by a stranger on the platform.

Prosecutors presented internal research suggesting that at one point, 16% of Instagram users reported being exposed to unwanted nudity or sexual content within a single week.

Meta argued it has taken steps over the years to improve safety, including launching ‘Teen Accounts’ in 2024 and introducing features to alert parents if children search for self-harm content.

The $375 million penalty reflects thousands of violations identified by the jury, each carrying a maximum fine of $5,000.