Meta has been ordered to pay $375 million in a child exploitation lawsuit in New Mexico

A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found that Meta violated state consumer protection laws by misleading users about the safety and allowing sexual exploitation of children on the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms, as previously reported by Reuters.

The company was ordered to pay $375 million in fines as a result of the lawsuit filed by the state attorney general. This amount is the maximum penalty for each violation under state law, but there is no additional information at this time on how the money will be distributed.

Meta said in a statement that she disagreed with the ruling and would appeal it.

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms, and we are clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content,” the company said. statement He said. “We will continue to advocate vigorously, and remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez alleged that company executives knew its products harmed children and ignored employee warnings.

“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over children’s safety,” Torrez said in a statement. statement.

Torrez said the state will seek additional penalties and ask the court to require the company to make changes to its platform to protect children.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles jury is hearing a case A case against Meta and YouTube, which is owned by Google It was brought by a young woman who said she became addicted to YouTube and Instagram when she was a child. The Los Angeles trial, in which Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg participated to attestis seen as a forerunner of similar cases across the country. The jury in that case told the judge Monday that it was having difficulty reaching a consensus on a defendant, but did not name any of them.