Meta told to pay $375m for misleading users over child safety

"A jury found that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, was liable for the way in which its platforms endangered children and exposed them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators."

"New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said the verdict is 'historic' and marks the first time that a state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues."

"The total civil penalty of $375m was reached after the jury decided there were thousands of violations of the act, each with a maximum penalty of $5,000."

"New Mexico sued Meta in 2022, claiming the company 'steered' young users to content that was sexually explicit, showed child sexual abuse, or even exposed them to solicitation of such material and sex trafficking."

A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading users regarding the safety of its platforms for children. The jury found Meta liable for endangering children and exposing them to harmful content. This verdict marks a historic moment as it is the first successful state lawsuit against Meta over child safety issues. Meta plans to appeal the decision, asserting its commitment to user safety. The lawsuit highlighted violations of New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act due to misleading public statements about platform safety.

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