US jury orders Meta to pay $375m for endangering children

The verdict marks the first time a US state has successfully sued the social media giant over child safety issues.A jury in the United States has ordered social media giant Meta to pay $375m for harming children’s mental health and making them vulnerable to sexual exploitation.Jurors in New Mexico handed down the verdict on Tuesday after a six-week trial in which state authorities accused the tech behemoth of failing to protect minors.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Philippines declares national emergency as fuel supplies dwindlelist 2 of 4Philippine president declares energy emergency as impact of Iran war feltlist 3 of 4Drone attack ignites fuel tank at Kuwait airportlist 4 of 4Iran says ‘non-hostile’ ships can pass safely through Strait of Hormuzend of listThe verdict marks the first time that a US state has successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, is facing a wave of lawsuits over how its platforms affect young people’s mental health.Jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that Meta prioritised profits over safety, and violated parts of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act.The jury 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 and inexperience of children.Jurors heard testimony from 40 witnesses, including employees-turned-whistle-blowers, and reviewed hundreds of documents, reports and emails.“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.“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.”New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, took Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to court in 2023 after his office ran an undercover operation in which investigators posed as Facebook and Instagram users aged under 14.