Meta ordered to pay $375 million in a New Mexico court for misleading claims about child safety on Instagram and Facebook, marking a landmark ruling against Big Tech.
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| Meta faces a $375 million penalty after a New Mexico court ruled it misled users about child safety, highlighting growing scrutiny of Big Tech’s impact on minors. Image: CH |
Tech Desk — March 25, 2026:
Meta Platforms has been ordered to pay $375 million after a New Mexico jury found the company misled users regarding the safety of its platforms for children. The lawsuit, brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, represents the first successful state-level case against Meta focused on child safety, signaling increased legal scrutiny of social media companies.
The jury determined that Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by downplaying risks to minors, including exposure to sexually explicit content and potential contact with predators. Testimony during the seven-week trial included revelations from former employees and whistleblowers like Arturo Béjar, who said internal experiments showed underage Instagram users were being served sexualized content. Béjar also shared that his own daughter received inappropriate advances on the platform. Prosecutors cited internal research indicating that 16% of Instagram users reported encountering unwanted nudity or sexual activity in a single week.
Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, rejected the verdict and announced plans to appeal. A company spokesperson stressed ongoing investments in safety initiatives, including “Teen Accounts” on Instagram and parental alerts for self-harm searches. The $375 million penalty reflects thousands of individual violations, each carrying fines of up to $5,000. Meta also faces a separate trial in Los Angeles over claims that its platforms contributed to childhood addiction, alongside thousands of similar lawsuits pending across the U.S.
Attorney General Torrez described the verdict as historic, saying Meta executives “knew their products harmed children, ignored warnings, and misled the public.” The case underscores growing concerns from families, educators, and child safety advocates, while signaling that courts may increasingly hold tech giants accountable for the real-world impacts of their platforms on minors.
This ruling could prompt a reassessment of online safety measures, transparency, and corporate responsibility in the social media industry, as Big Tech faces mounting legal and reputational pressure worldwide.