Meta Was Finally Held Accountable For Harming Teens. Now What?
Meta lost two landmark lawsuits for harming teens. Here's what the court rulings mean for social media, child safety, and the future of Big Tech.
Matilda
Meta Was Finally Held Accountable For Harming Teens. Now What?
Meta Held Liable for Teen Harm — What Happens Next? For the first time in history, Meta has been held legally responsible in court for endangering the safety and mental health of children and teenagers. Two back-to-back court losses in a single week have cracked open a legal door that could reshape how social media companies build their products — and face consequences for the damage those products cause. Two Landmark Rulings That Changed Everything The first blow came when a jury found Meta liable for violating New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act after a six-week trial. The verdict ordered Meta to pay a maximum fine of $5,000 per violation, adding up to a total of $375 million. That alone was historic. The very next day, a Los Angeles jury delivered a second verdict — finding Meta 70% liable and another platform 30% liable for the emotional and psychological distress suffered by a 20-year-old plaintiff identified only as K.G.M. The combined fine in that case came to $6 million. Two oth…
