Meta to Face Historic Jury Trial Over Child Safety Allegations in New Mexico
Meta Platforms Inc. is preparing for a landmark legal battle as it faces a jury trial next week in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The state has accused the social media giant of enabling child sexual exploitation and failing to protect young users on its platforms, marking the first such case against Meta to reach a jury.
Details of the Lawsuit and Trial Timeline
The lawsuit, filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, alleges that Meta's platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—promoted illegal content and provided predators with unfettered access to underage users. According to the complaint, this often led to real-world abuse and human trafficking. The trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Monday at the Santa Fe District Court and is expected to last seven to eight weeks.
Operation MetaPhile and Undercover Investigation
The case originated from an undercover operation called "Operation MetaPhile," conducted by Torrez's office in 2023. Investigators created accounts on Facebook and Instagram posing as users under 14 years old. These accounts reportedly received sexually explicit material and were contacted by adults seeking similar content, resulting in criminal charges against three individuals.
Allegations of Platform Design Harms
New Mexico's lawsuit further accuses Meta of designing its platforms to maximize user engagement, despite evidence of harm to children's mental health. Features such as:
- Infinite scroll
- Auto-play videos
are claimed to foster addictive behavior, potentially leading to depression, anxiety, and self-harm among young users. The state alleges that internal company documents acknowledged these issues, yet Meta failed to implement basic safety measures like age verification.
Meta's Defense and Legal Arguments
Meta has strongly denied the allegations, calling New Mexico's arguments "sensationalist, irrelevant, and distracting." The company asserts it has extensive safeguards in place and has worked with parents, experts, and law enforcement for over a decade to improve safety. Meta also argues that it is shielded from liability by:
- The First Amendment's free-speech protections
- Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act
which generally protects websites from lawsuits over user-generated content.
Broader Context of Child Safety Scrutiny
This trial comes amid increasing scrutiny of Meta's child safety record. In 2021, whistleblower testimony before Congress alleged the company knew its products could be harmful but refused to act. Last year, Reuters reported on an internal policy document that allowed Meta's chatbots to engage in romantic or sensual conversations with minors. Although Meta removed this language after inquiries, the report prompted lawmakers to seek data on platform impacts and parental controls.
Related Legal Battles and Settlements
Meta is also facing thousands of lawsuits nationwide, accusing it and other social media companies of intentionally designing addictive products that contribute to a youth mental health crisis. Some cases seek tens of billions in damages. In related litigation, the first trial began this week in Los Angeles, with Alphabet's Google and Meta as the remaining defendants after TikTok and Snap reached settlements.
The New Mexico Department of Justice has expressed readiness to present evidence gathered over more than two years, while Meta maintains its commitment to ongoing safety improvements. The outcome of this trial could set significant precedents for social media accountability and child protection policies in the digital age.
