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By Michaela Gordoni
A lawsuit against Meta from the state of New Mexico has resulted in the tech giant being held liable for failing to prevent child sexual exploitation.
The suit found Meta liable for “failing to warn users about the dangers of its platforms and protect children from sexual predators,” as decided by a jury. This is the first significant civil lawsuit and victory against a social media company for harming children, the National Center for Child Exploitation (NCOSE) said in a press release.
“Meta failed to address rampant child sexual exploitation on its platforms, and a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for failing to protect children. This is a historic verdict and one that no doubt would have happened without immense pressure from survivor parents and children, courageous leaders, and anti-exploitation advocates. Big Tech platforms that enable child sexual exploitation must be held accountable and this is a monumental step towards making that reality,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, NCOSE.
McNamara testified about Meta’s failure to rectify harms to children, despite NCOSE repeatedly drawing Meta’s attention to the matter. She also elaborated on Meta’s harmful practices like failing to disclose any risk of sexual exploitation in its parent guide and misrepresenting that bullying is the only danger it presents to children.
Related: Landmark Lawsuit Seeks to Hold Meta Accountable for Addictive Technology
The company has been on NCOSE’s annual Dirty Dozen List, and its 2026 Dirty Dozen List will be revealed on March 31.
Ex-Meta engineering director-turned-whistleblower Arturo Bejar testified about his efforts to warn Meta executives after his 14-year-old daughter received sexual solicitations on Instagram. He said the highly personalized algorithms that make Meta’s platforms so successful at serving ads benefits predators.
“The product is very good at connecting people with interests, and if your interest is little girls, it will be really good at connecting you with little girls,” Bejar said.
Case documents Meta provided proved that over 100,000 children are exploited every day across its platforms.
“We commend New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the legal team, including Linda Singer, Donald Migliori, and others, for their diligent and incredible work to hold Meta accountable,” said McNamara.
“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety,” said New Mexico’s attorney general, Raúl Torrez. “Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded 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.”
The court ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties, The Guardian reported.
Read Next: Meta Broke This Texas Law. Now It Must Pay Billions to Settle Lawsuit
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