Meta Ordered to Pay $375M in New Mexico Child Exploitation Lawsuit
A New Mexico jury concluded Tuesday that Meta violated state consumer protection laws by misleading users about safety and allowing child sexual exploitation on its Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms, as Reuters previously reported.
The company was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties following the lawsuit filed by the state attorney general. This sum constitutes the maximum penalty per violation under state law, but there is no further information at this time on how the funds will be distributed.
Meta said in a statement that she disagreed with the decision and would appeal.
“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content,” the company’s statement said. “We will continue to vigorously defend ourselves and remain confident in our ability to protect teens online.”
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez claimed that company executives knew its products harmed children and failed to heed employees’ warnings.
“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who paid the price for Meta’s choice to prioritize profits over children’s safety,” Torrez said in a statement.
Torrez said the state would seek additional sanctions and ask the court to require the company to make changes to its platform to protect children.
At the same time, a Los Angeles jury is considering a case against Meta and Google-owned YouTube brought by a young woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram as a child. The Los Angeles trial, in which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified, is seen as a bellwether for similar cases across the country. The jury in that case told the judge Monday that it was having trouble reaching a consensus regarding a defendant, but did not name which one.
