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A Santa Fe jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties after finding it misled consumers about platform safety and endangered children. TechCrunch frames the fine as less important than the precedent, but the key unresolved question is what specific conduct the jury found deceptive and what court-ordered changes might follow. The case matters because it tests whether states can use consumer-protection and nuisance theories to force product and policy changes at major social platforms.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, a jury in Santa Fe, New Mexico, ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties after finding it liable under New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act for misleading consumers about safety and endangering children. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/)) New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez characterized the verdict as a landmark win for parents; Meta said it disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/)) TechCrunch says the trial lasted six weeks and centered on a 2023 undercover operation where investigators created decoy accounts posing as users under 14 that received sexual material and solicitations; several New Mexico men were later arrested (May 2024) based on the operation. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/)) The penalty figure is tied to the statutory maximum of $5,000 per violation under the state law, with jurors finding enough violations to total $375 million. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/)) A second phase is scheduled as a bench trial beginning May 4, 2026, on public nuisance claims, where the state may seek additional penalties and injunctive relief (e.g., age verification and other changes). ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/)) TechCrunch highlights testimony from former Meta employees (including Arturo Béjar and Brian Boland) and a recorded Zuckerberg deposition as key evidence about internal awareness of harms and disputes over addiction research. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/new-mexico-just-handed-meta-its-first-courtroom-defeat-over-child-safety-and-the-rest-of-the-country-is-watching/)) The story situates the New Mexico verdict among broader U.S. litigation over youth harms; separately, a Los Angeles jury also reached a verdict in a social-media addiction trial involving Meta and YouTube around the same time. ([cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/25/meta-youtube-los-angeles-california-verdict.html))