yahoo news | Jury finds Meta’s platforms harmful to children’s mental health; imposes $375 mi...
-
yahoo news | Jury finds Meta’s platforms harmful to children’s mental health; imposes $375 mi...
A New Mexico jury concluded on March 4, 2026 that Meta Platforms, Inc.—the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp—has been harmful to children’s mental health and violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act. After a nearly seven‑week trial, jurors agreed with state prosecutors that Meta prioritized profit over safety, concealed its knowledge of the risks of child sexual exploitation on its services, and made false or misleading statements about the safety of its platforms.
The jury determined that Meta engaged in “unconscionable” trade practices that exploited the vulnerabilities and inexperience of minors, finding thousands of separate violations. Those violations collectively support a $375 million penalty, the largest award in the emerging wave of litigation targeting social‑media companies for their impact on youth. Throughout the trial, evidence—including a deposition excerpt from CEO Mark Zuckerberg—highlighted the company’s alleged failures to adequately protect children and to disclose known harms.
Meta’s attorneys responded by emphasizing the company’s disclosures of risks, its ongoing efforts to remove harmful content, and the fact that some material inevitably slips through its safety systems. The case follows earlier suits, such as the 2024 lawsuit against Meta and Snap, and marks one of the first trials to reach a verdict in the broader national push to hold social‑media platforms accountable for the mental‑health effects on children.
#metaplatforms #markzuckerberg #unfairpracticesact #childsexualexploitation
-
R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic