Historic Verdict Holds Meta Liable for Unsafe and Deceptive Products, Underscoring the Consequences of Zuckerberg’s Lies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A New Mexico jury found Meta Platforms liable for $375 million in damages. The verdict represents a landmark victory for the movement to hold Big Tech accountable for releasing products that have harmed children and for misleading Congress and the American public about their products’ safety.
The verdict follows findings that Meta violated state law by misleading users about the safety of its platforms and allowing harms to minors, including child exploitation, to persist despite years of internal warnings and public scrutiny. It is the first major jury verdict of its kind against Meta in a state-led child safety action and may become a model for additional litigation nationwide.
J.B. Branch, AI governance and technology policy counsel at Public Citizen, released the following statement in response:
“A jury has now confirmed what families, advocates, and researchers have warned for years: Meta lied to Congress, lied to the American public, and failed children by building products it knew could expose them to exploitation, manipulation, and irreparable harm. For years, Meta told lawmakers and parents that safety was a priority, but mounting evidence has made it clear that its assurances were nothing more than carefully crafted PR statements.
“The American public will no longer accept a business model that treats children as guinea pigs while inflicting harm on families, schools, and communities. This verdict is a warning to the entire tech sector that courts and juries are increasingly willing to hold powerful companies accountable when profit is prioritized over product safety. The era of unchecked impunity for manipulative digital design may finally be ending. This is just the beginning of a much broader public reckoning for Big Tech and social media companies.”