In what the New Mexico Department of Justice has called a “historic verdict,” Meta has lost a lawsuit concerning child endangerment and consumer deception. The trial primarily focused on safety issues across Facebook and Instagram, with damaging testimonies from employees and evidence from a state-led sting operation.
The undercover operation involved creating fake minor accounts that subsequently received explicit material from various men. Several individuals were arrested in 2024, some of whom had arranged meetings in questionable motels with what they believed to be children as young as 12. A separate phase of the case, addressing age verification requirements and minor protection, is scheduled to commence in early May.
Each infraction cost Meta a modest $5,000, due to state limits on damages. Evidence presented demonstrated that Meta employees and child safety experts had repeatedly warned about the dangers inherent in the platforms, but management largely ignored these warnings. One software engineer even testified that their 14-year-old daughter received unwanted advances on Instagram and that the ad targeting system was equally useful for child predators to identify potential victims. A former vice president directly stated that he “absolutely did not think safety was a priority.”
“Meta’s leadership knew their products were harming children, ignored warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew. Today, the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough.”
— Raul Torrez, New Mexico Attorney General