Meta Ordered to pay $375 Million after losing first child exploitation case

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, was found liable in a child exploitation case, prompting a New Mexico Jury to order the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties.

The jury ruled that the social media giants misled consumers about the safety of their platforms and enabled harm, including child sexual exploitation, against their users. The verdict marks the first bench trial to find Meta guilty of acts committed on its platform, possibly opening the door for other lawsuits.

“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,” said New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez.

“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,” she added.

The jury mandated that Meta pay the maximum penalty under the jurisdiction’s laws, which is $5,000 per violation, totaling $375 million. This civil penalty accrued by Meta is for violating New Mexico’s consumer protection laws.

Meta has said it will appeal the ruling. They accused Torrez of sensationalism, weak arguments, and selective use of available evidence.

“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content,” said a Meta spokesperson. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online,” Meta said.

Big Platform, Big Problems

Meta has faced a couple of lawsuits in recent years. They range from acts committed on its platform to its effects on people. Major legal claims include the Adolescent Social Media Addiction Multidistrict Litigation, which has over 2,325 claims. These cases argue that the features of Facebook and Instagram cause serious harm to adolescent users. Issues arising include Mental Health problems like depression, eating disorders, and anxiety.

Other examples include a class action against Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. The action claimed Meta’s Ray Ban secretly transmitted private videos and audio to human contractors overseas for AI training. This contradicts the company’s marketing policy.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, has appeared before the US Congress on many occasions. The CEO has answered queries about his platform and alleged abuse of personal data. In 2018, Zuckerberg appeared before Congress in the light of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The scandal involves the data of up to 87 million Facebook users being improperly accessed by a political consulting firm.

Facebook remains the world’s largest social media platform with 3.07 billion monthly active users. This represents nearly 40% of the global population checking the platform at least once a month.

Last updated: March 25, 2026