Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, has been ordered to pay $375m (£280m) in damages after it was found to have knowingly harmed children’s mental health.
In what was described by campaigners as a “watershed moment”, a court in New Mexico, USA, has found the company had concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms.
The verdict marks the first time a jury has ruled on such claims against Meta, as the tech giant faces a wave of lawsuits over how its platforms affect young people’s mental health.
The New Mexico case relied on an undercover investigation where agents created social media accounts posing as children to document sexual solicitations and Meta’s response.
Prosecutors claimed Meta proritised profits over safety and violated parts of the state’s Unfair Practices Act.
The jury at the seven-week trial in Santa Fe 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 of and inexperience of children.
A Meta spokesperson said the company disagrees 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,” they said.
“We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
The company’s lawyers said it disclosed risks and made efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences,…
