A court in New Mexico has mandated that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, pay a staggering $375 million (£279 million) for misleading users about the safety of its platforms for children. This decision follows a jury's finding that Meta was liable for endangering minors by exposing them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez hailed this ruling as 'historic,' being the first successful instance where a state has sued Meta over concerns related to child safety. According to a Meta spokeswoman, the company disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal the decision.
The jury's decision stems from findings that Meta violated the state's Unfair Practices Act by misleading the public about the safety levels for young users. Testimonies during the seven-week trial revealed that the company had been aware, through various internal documents and statements from former employees, of child predators utilizing its platforms to target minors.
Arturo Béjar, a whistleblower and former Meta engineer, testified about experiments he conducted on Instagram, which revealed underage users being served sexual content. Starker still, he shared a chilling personal story of how his young daughter received sexual propositions from strangers on the platform. Internal Meta research cited during the trial indicated that as many as 16% of Instagram users reported exposure to unwanted nudity or sexual activity in a single week.
Despite the troubling evidence, Meta has maintained that it has actively worked to enhance safety measures for minors, citing the introduction of features like 'Teen Accounts' and newly designed parental alerts for self-harm content. The total jury award of $375 million reflects thousands of violations of New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act, each subject to a maximum fine of $5,000.
At the same time, Meta faces additional legal challenges, including another trial in Los Angeles concerning claims of addiction related to social media usage among children, with numerous similar lawsuits underway across the U.S. This escalating legal scrutiny highlights ongoing issues surrounding the safety and psychological impact of social media platforms on younger audiences.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez hailed this ruling as 'historic,' being the first successful instance where a state has sued Meta over concerns related to child safety. According to a Meta spokeswoman, the company disagrees with the verdict and intends to appeal the decision.
The jury's decision stems from findings that Meta violated the state's Unfair Practices Act by misleading the public about the safety levels for young users. Testimonies during the seven-week trial revealed that the company had been aware, through various internal documents and statements from former employees, of child predators utilizing its platforms to target minors.
Arturo Béjar, a whistleblower and former Meta engineer, testified about experiments he conducted on Instagram, which revealed underage users being served sexual content. Starker still, he shared a chilling personal story of how his young daughter received sexual propositions from strangers on the platform. Internal Meta research cited during the trial indicated that as many as 16% of Instagram users reported exposure to unwanted nudity or sexual activity in a single week.
Despite the troubling evidence, Meta has maintained that it has actively worked to enhance safety measures for minors, citing the introduction of features like 'Teen Accounts' and newly designed parental alerts for self-harm content. The total jury award of $375 million reflects thousands of violations of New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act, each subject to a maximum fine of $5,000.
At the same time, Meta faces additional legal challenges, including another trial in Los Angeles concerning claims of addiction related to social media usage among children, with numerous similar lawsuits underway across the U.S. This escalating legal scrutiny highlights ongoing issues surrounding the safety and psychological impact of social media platforms on younger audiences.
