‘Historic victory’: Jury fines Meta $375 million for misleading users about predator dangers to kids
Meta, the corporate parent of Facebook, has been found by a jury to have misled users and refused to protect children from predators.
The ruling came in a New Mexico lawsuit that found the tech giant liable for $375 million for violating state law.
Jurors found the massively wealthy corporation, also the parent to Instagram, misled users about the safety of its platforms in ways that allegedly enabled child sexual exploirtation.
The case was launched by Raul Torrez, the state’s attorney general, who charged the corporation failed to protect children from predators on its websites.
“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety,” Torrez explained. “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.”
BREAKING: META just got fined $375 million in New Mexico over child exploitation claims.
A New Mexico jury revealed META prioritized profits over safety by allegedly hiding what it knew about the dangers of child s*xual exploitation on their apps.
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) March 24, 2026
A report at Fox Business said the was by the New Mexico Department of Justice was in the courts two years.
The fight was over New Mexico’s allegations Meta, run by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, violated state consumer protection laws and deceived parents about the sites’ safety.
Jury deliberations that started on Monday concluded with the decision that the company knowingly violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act.
Normally violations can bring fines of up to $5,000 per willful violation, and the judgment was the result of “the large number of violations,” the report said.
A Meta official rejected the decision. “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal.”
He claimed the corporation works “hard” to keep people safe.
Key to the case was evidence that the company failed to enforce its requirements that users be at least age 13.
The process in New Mexico also allows a second stage. The report explained that will involve a bench trial when state lawyers will ask the judge for more damages, and a requirement that the company make changes to its platforms and operations.
That could include a requirement for age verification.
Further, if the judge decides the company created a public nuisance, it could be required to fund public programs to fight the resulting harms.