The dollar amount isn’t as important as the fact that this is the first jury verdict of its kind against Meta over harm to young people.
New Mexico just handed Meta its first courtroom defeat over child safety, and the rest of the country is watching Connie Loizos 5:14 PM PDT · March 24, 2026 A jury in Santa Fe on Tuesday ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties after finding the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and endangered children.
New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez’s office called the decision a “ watershed moment for every parent concerned about what could happen to their kids when they go online,” according to a press release issued right after the ruling.
The verdict, reached after a six-week trial, found Meta liable on both claims brought by the state under its Unfair Practices Act.
At $5,000 per violation — the maximum allowed under the law — the penalty may seem paltry for a company valued at $1.5 trillion by public market investors.