In December 2023, the New Mexico Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Meta alleging the company failed to protect children from sexual exploitation on its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. 

In May 2024, the judge denied Meta’s motion to dismiss, allowing the case to proceed to trial. 

The trial began in February 2026 in New Mexico state court and lasted almost seven weeks.

On 24 March 2026, the jury found Meta liable under the state’s consumer protection laws for misleading the public about the safety of this platforms for young users and ordered the company to pay USD375m in civil penalties.

On 6 August 2026, a judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay USD567m into a fund intended to compensate for harm caused to children by its platforms, bringing its total fines in the case to USD942m.

Meta said it will appeal the verdict.