After hearing more than seven weeks of evidence, a Santa Fe jury took less than two days to decide that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, prioritized profits over the safety of children who were targeted and exploited on its platforms.
The jury set a fine of $375 million, a maximum available of $5,000 for each of hundreds of violations of the state’s consumer protection laws, in the case brought by the New Mexico Department of Justice as a part of a multi-state action against one of the world’s largest social media platforms.
“The evidence presented at trial – which included internal Meta documents and testimony from former Meta employees, law enforcement officials, and New Mexico educators – established that Meta’s design features enabled pedophiles and predators to engage in child sexual exploitation on Meta’s platforms. Evidence from those witnesses and other industry experts also demonstrated that Meta intentionally designs its platforms to addict young people and, contrary to Meta’s public commitments, expose them to dangerous content related to eating disorders and self harm,” said the NMDOJ in a statement after the verdict. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment submitted to their media laisons.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez did not downplay the importance of the victory. “Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew. Today the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough,” he said.
“New Mexico is proud to be the first state to hold Meta accountable in court for misleading parents, enabling child exploitation, and harming kids. In the next phase of this legal proceeding, we will seek additional financial penalties and court-mandated changes to Meta’s platforms that offer stronger protections for children. The substantial damages the jury ordered Meta to pay should send a clear message to big tech executives that no company is beyond the reach of the law.”
Meta still faces additional actions in a bench trial in the same courtroom in May where prosecutors say they will ask the judge to force the company to change policies to protect children.