Meta fined $375m by American jury over child sexual exploitation

Meta has been ordered to pay $375 million in civil penalties after losing a landmark child safety case in the United States, according to The Guardian.

A state court jury in New Mexico found the social media giant liable for endangering young users and enabling child sexual exploitation on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Jurors ruled that Meta had violated New Mexico consumer protection legislation, including the state’s Unfair Practices Act, by misleading the public about the safety of its services for children and teenagers.

The case, brought by the office of New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2023, marks the first time Meta has been fined by a jury over wrongdoing it is alleged to have enabled. The state won two of the claims it lodged against the company.

The lawsuit followed an April 2023 Guardian investigation that identified Facebook and Instagram as enablers of horrific crimes such as child sex trafficking.

During the weeks‑long trial, jurors heard harrowing evidence about how convicted child sexual predators used Meta products to commit their crimes, and how Facebook Messenger’s end‑to‑end encryption can make it harder for law enforcement to track offenders. The court also examined how Meta was repeatedly alerted – both internally and externally – to the risks facing children on its platforms, and how its artificial intelligence‑driven moderation systems allegedly flooded police with low‑value reports, diverting attention from genuine investigations.

Having concluded that Meta had broken state consumer law, the jury imposed the maximum civil penalty of $5,000 for each violation. The resulting $375 million bill underlines the scale of the alleged misconduct.

The legal battle is set to continue. The New Mexico Attorney General’s office and Meta are due back in court in early May to consider further remedies, including potential additional fines and mandated safety improvements across Meta’s platforms.

Raúl Torrez hailed the verdict as “a historic victory” for victims of child sexual exploitation, accusing Facebook of having “put profits over kids’ safety”.

“Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees, and lied to the public about what they knew,” he said. “Today the jury joined families, educators, and child safety experts in saying enough is enough.”

Meta strongly disputed the outcome. A company spokesperson said: “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

“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.”