Meta loses trial after arguing child exploitation was “inevitable” on its apps

March 26, 2026

Here's something that might shock you — Meta just lost a major child safety trial, and the verdict is pretty clear. A New Mexico jury decided that Meta’s platforms aren’t doing enough to protect kids from exploitation. They awarded $375 million in damages, calling out Meta for misleading parents and violating consumer protections. According to Ashley Belanger writing in Ars Technica, this all stems from a 2023 lawsuit following a two-year investigation by the New Mexico Attorney General. Their undercover operation, dubbed 'Operation MetaPhile,' revealed that fake profiles posing as children were flooded with harmful images and solicitations from predators. Belanger points out that three men were arrested during the sting, highlighting how real this danger is. So what does this actually mean? It’s a wake-up call — these platforms still have a long way to go when it comes to child safety. And get this — this is just the first of three trials Meta faces this year.

Meta has lost the first of three child safety trials it's facing this year after a jury in a New Mexico state court found that the social media giant's platforms do not effectively protect kids from child exploitation.

On Tuesday, the jury deliberated for only one day before agreeing that Meta should pay $375 million in civil damages for violating state consumer protections and misleading parents about the safety of its apps.

The trial followed a 2023 lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez after The Guardian published a two-year investigation exposing child sex trafficking markets on Facebook and Instagram. Torrez's office then conducted an undercover investigation codenamed "Operation MetaPhile," in which officers posed as children on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The jury heard that these fake profiles were "simply inundated with images and targeted solicitations” from child abusers, Torrez told CNBC in 2024. Ultimately, three men were arrested amid the sting for attempting to use Meta's social networks to prey on children.

Audio Transcript

View original article

0:00/0:00