A jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million to the state for willfully violating the state’s consumer protection laws.
The jury determined that Meta violated parts of the state’s Unfair Practices Act, hiding foreseeable dangers of child sexual exploitation on its platforms and impacts on child mental health. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez called it a “historic victory.” In the opening statement, prosecuting attorney Donald Migliori alleged that Meta misrepresented the safety of its platforms, engineering its algorithms to keep young people online while knowing that children are at risk of sexual exploitation.
Officials sought over $2 billion. The jury awarded $5,000 per count, the state maximum.
New Mexico officials filed the lawsuit against Meta in 2023, and Tuesday’s landmark decision concluded a seven-week trial.
The case was built by a team led by AG Torrez posing as children on social media. They documented sexual solicitations they received, as well as Meta’s response when the concerns were reported.
“We also were able to show that the company’s own safety team had been recommending for years and highlighting for years the dangers of these features,” Torrez said. “They were repeatedly ignored by Mr. Zuckerberg and other executives.”
Torrez is calling for Congress to take action to regulate the tech space.
Lawsuits have been filed by individuals, school districts, and multiple levels of government addressing the impact of social media on minors, from addiction to sexual exploitation. The outcomes could challenge Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their platforms.
These verdicts could also challenge what it means to uphold the First Amendment in the age of social media accountability.
Beginning May 4, the New Mexico Department of Justice will argue a public nuisance case against Meta, seeking additional damages and an order to require age verification.
Meta reported a record $201 billion in total revenue for 2025, with ad revenue accounting for $196 billion. A Meta spokesperson has stated that an appeal will be filed.
