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 a state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.
A spokeswoman for Meta, led by chairman and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, stated that the company disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal.
She said: 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 violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act by misleading the public about the safety of its platforms for young users.
During a trial lasting seven weeks, jurors were presented with internal Meta documents and testimony from former employees confirming the company’s awareness of child predators using its platforms.
Arturo Béjar, a former engineering leader at Meta who quit in 2021 and became a whistleblower, testified to experiments indicating that underage users were served sexualized content.
He recounted that his young daughter was propositioned for sex by a stranger on Instagram.
Evidence presented by state prosecutors included research showing that 16% of Instagram users reported being shown unwanted nudity or sexual activity in one week.
While Meta contended that it had taken measures to combat problematic users and promote safe environments for minors, the jury decided against the company after detailed evidence revealed the extent of the issues.
The total civil penalty of $375 million arose after the jury identified thousands of violations of the act, each carrying a maximum penalty of $5,000.
Meta is also contending with a separate trial in Los Angeles concerning claims from a young woman about addiction to platforms like Instagram as a child.
There are numerous similar lawsuits progressing through U.S. courts.
New Mexico filed this lawsuit in 2023, alleging that Meta directed young users toward sexually explicit content and other harmful material through its recommendation algorithms.
Torrez emphasized that the verdict reflects a collective stance from families, educators, and child safety experts: Today the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough.
