A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found that Meta’s social media platforms harm children’s mental health and violate state consumer protection laws.

The social media giant was found guilty on all counts and will now have to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The verdict, delivered after a trial that lasted more than six weeks, concluded that Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — engaged in deceptive and unfair practices that exploited young users. 

Jurors determined the company made misleading statements about the safety of its platforms while failing to adequately address risks to children. The jury decided Meta violated parts of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, a consumer protection law that prohibits deceptive, misleading and unfair business practices, allowing the state to seek penalties and damages against companies that harm consumers. Jurors found there were thousands of violations, with each violation contributing to the large penalty.

State prosecutors argued that Meta knowingly prioritized user engagement and profits over child safety, despite internal awareness of harms including anxiety, depression and exposure to sexual exploitation. 

The lawsuit, filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, stemmed in part from a 2023 undercover investigation in which state officials created accounts posing as minors and were quickly exposed to explicit content and predatory behavior.  

In the initial lawsuit filing, Torrez called Meta platforms “prime locations for predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex.” He also accused the company of allowing predators to connect with minors and failing to implement basic safeguards, such as effective age verification tools.  

A Meta spokesperson denied the allegations on Tuesday, arguing the company has invested heavily in safety features and content moderation and said the company will appeal the verdict.

“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. We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.

The case marks one of the first jury verdicts in a growing wave of litigation against social media companies over their effect on young users. Thousands of similar lawsuits have been filed nationwide, many alleging that platforms are deliberately designed to be addictive and contribute to a broader youth mental health crisis.

A separate case against Meta is unfolding in California, where a jury is deadlocked in a landmark trial examining allegations that social media is addictive and harmful to children’s mental health.

The post New Mexico jury finds Meta committed thousands of violations that put children at risk appeared first on MS NOW.