A recording of Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's deposition is played for the jurors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on March 4, 2026 [Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP]By Agence France Presse, Reuters and The Associated PressPublished On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026A jury in the United States has ordered social media giant Meta to pay $375m for harming children’s mental health and making them vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
Jurors in New Mexico handed down the verdict on Tuesday after a six-week trial in which state authorities accused the tech behemoth of failing to protect minors.
The verdict marks the first time that a US state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, is facing a wave of lawsuits over how its platforms affect young people’s mental health.
Jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta prioritised profits over safety, and violated parts of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act.
The jury agreed with allegations that Meta made false or misleading statements and also agreed that Meta engaged in “unconscionable” trade practices that unfairly took advantage of the vulnerabilities and inexperience of children.
Jurors heard testimony from 40 witnesses, including employees-turned-whistle-blowers, and reviewed hundreds of documents, reports and emails.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.
“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.”
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, took Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to court in 2023 after his office ran an undercover operation in which investigators posed as Facebook and Instagram users aged under 14.
Torrez’s office said the fake accounts on the platforms received sexually explicit material and were contacted by adults seeking similar content, leading to criminal charges against multiple individuals.
In a statement, Torrez called the verdict “a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety”.
“The substantial damages the jury ordered Meta to pay should send a clear message to big tech executives that no company is beyond the reach of the law,” he said.
A second phase in New Mexico’s proceedings against Meta is scheduled to begin in May, when a judge will hear the state’s claim that the company should be ordered to pay additional penalties and make specific changes to its platforms and company operations.
A separate jury in California is weighing whether Meta and YouTube should be held liable for harms caused to children on their platforms, including by making them addictive.
That case is considered a bellwether that could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies across the US.
