A jury in New Mexico, United States, ordered Meta to pay 375 million dollars for concealing flaws that facilitate sexual violence and child exploitation

Omissions

• The $375 million figure represents the maximum penalty of $5,000 per violation for thousands of violations of New Mexico's unfair practices act, not a single lump sum for concealment specifically.
• The specific legal basis was violation of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act, with the jury finding Meta willfully misled consumers about platform safety.
• The verdict was announced on March 24, 2026, approximately one month before the MEP's statement on April 29, 2026.

Sources

• PrimaryNew Mexico Department of JusticeThe jury ordered Meta to pay the maximum penalty under the law of $5,000 per violation, totaling $375 million in civil penalties for violating New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act by misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms and endangering children.
• SecondaryReutersJury orders Meta to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child exploitation, user safety claims. The state attorney general accused the tech giant of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and of enabling child sexual exploitation.
• SecondaryThe GuardianThe jury ordered Meta to pay the maximum penalty under the law of $5,000 per violation, totaling $375m in civil penalties for violating New Mexico's unfair practices act. The case accused Meta of enabling child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.