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Meta Found Guilty of Harming Children's Mental Health, Fined $375 Million in New Mexico
Meta: During the trial, the jury heard internal Meta documents, testimony from executives, whistleblowers, and technical experts. The investigation also revealed that undercover agents created social media accounts posing as children to examine sexual abuse cases and Meta's response.
A jury in New Mexico, USA, has found Meta guilty of harming kids’ mental health and concealing the risks of child sexual abuse on its social media platforms. This was the verdict that ended the nearly seven-week trial.
The jury, which sided with state prosecutors, has found that Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, was more concerned with profits than safety. It also found that the company provided false information regarding kids’ mental health and risks of abuse, and that they used unfair business practices.
The jury has found thousands of violations, for which they have imposed a fine of $375 million, which is ₹31 billion. This is a much lower amount than what was sought by the prosecutors. However, the company has a market value of approximately $1.5 trillion, and its shares rose by about 5% following the verdict.
