New Mexico Jury Orders Meta to Pay $375M Over Child-Safety Violations
New Mexico Jury Orders Meta to Pay $375M Over Child-Safety Violations
A New Mexico jury found Meta harmed children's mental health and misled users about safety, ordering a $375 million penalty in a landmark case.
A New Mexico jury ruled that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about exploitation on its platforms, labeling the conduct as unfair and unconscionable. Jurors found thousands of violations under the state’s Unfair Practices Act, with a maximum possible penalty of $5,000 per violation, culminating in a total of $375 million. The verdict signals a growing willingness to hold tech giants to account for how their platforms affect young users.
While the jury imposed a financial penalty, the ruling stops short of forcing Meta to immediately change its practices. It will be up to a judge, not the jury, to determine whether Meta’s platforms created a public nuisance and to decide any broader remedies.
Meta’s shares moved higher in after-hours trading following the verdict, suggesting investor interpretation that the decision, while significant, may not derail the company’s business model in the near term. The case in New Mexico comes amid closely watched legal actions in other jurisdictions, including ongoing considerations in California over whether tech platforms should be liable for similar harms.
