During December of 2023, the state of New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, accusing the company of failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation. Last week, in a historic court decision, a New Mexico jury found Meta guilty, ordering the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties.
In response, Meta announced that they will be appealing the court’s decision.
Meta, who owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, was recently found guilty of knowingly allowing harmful content and interactions to reach those underage, putting young users at risk. According to the jury, they found that Meta was liable for endangering children and their mental health, as well as exposing them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.
Attorney General of New Mexico, Raúl Torrez, who originally filed the case, states that companies like Meta have a responsibility to create safer digital spaces, and many have failed to do so. Torrez relied on undercover investigations where state agents posed as children to document the sexual solicitations minors are being exposed to when they are on these platforms. The jury ended up finding the company liable for about 75,000 violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, which is an act that protects consumers and businesses from false, deceptive, or misleading trade practices.
In response to this lawsuit, Meta has stated that its goal is to protect young users and has introduced parent controls, privacy settings, and even age verifications. Meta argues that it continues to add safety features and work with experts to improve their user protection.
In the end, the outcome of this case could have some major impacts for how social media companies operate in the future, or even future court cases arising. The second phase of this trial is scheduled for May 4th of this year, where a judge will consider further, non-momentary, changes to Meta’s platforms.
