March 24: A New Mexico jury ruled that Meta Platforms violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of its platforms and enabling child sexual exploitation.
The jury found Meta violated New Mexico's consumer protection law and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties. This marks the first jury verdict on these claims against the social media giant.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez accused Meta of allowing predators access to underage users, leading to real-world abuse and human trafficking. The state claimed Meta falsely advertised its platforms as safe while hiding internal evidence of harm.
Meta denied the allegations, stating it has safeguards in place to protect younger users. The company also argued it is shielded from liability by free-speech protections under U.S. law.
The lawsuit grew out of an undercover operation where investigators created fake accounts posing as minors, which received sexually explicit material and were contacted by adults.
The state seeks changes to improve children’s safety on Meta's platforms, while Meta continues to defend its transparency and efforts to prevent harmful content.