Meta will stand trial in New Mexico over allegations that its social media platforms failed to protect minors from sexual exploitation. The case adds to growing legal and regulatory scrutiny of how large tech companies handle child safety online.
Meta is set to face a new trial in the US state of New Mexico over allegations that its platforms enabled the sexual exploitation of minors, deepening the legal pressure on one of the world’s largest social media companies.
The lawsuit, brought by New Mexico’s attorney general, argues that Meta failed to adequately safeguard children on Facebook and Instagram, allowing harmful interactions to persist despite long-standing awareness of the risks. Meta has denied the claims, saying it has invested heavily in safety tools and enforcement.
The case is one of the most advanced state-level legal challenges targeting how social media platforms protect minors — and it arrives as lawmakers across the US intensify calls for stricter oversight of Big Tech.
Why this case is moving forward
A New Mexico judge ruled that key claims brought by the state can proceed to trial, rejecting Meta’s efforts to have the case dismissed at an early stage. The state alleges that Meta’s design choices and moderation practices made it easier for bad actors to contact and exploit minors.
While the court has not ruled on the merits of the allegations, the decision clears a major procedural hurdle for regulators seeking to hold platforms accountable through consumer protection laws rather than federal tech regulation.
For Meta, the ruling means facing discovery, testimony, and potential reputational damage even before any final verdict is reached.
Part of a broader regulatory shift
The New Mexico case reflects a wider trend: US states are increasingly using existing consumer protection and child safety laws to challenge social media companies, sidestepping stalled federal legislation.
Attorneys general in multiple states have pursued similar actions, arguing that platforms knowingly expose minors to harm through recommendation algorithms, messaging features, and insufficient age verification.
These cases often focus less on individual incidents and more on systemic risk — whether platforms were designed with adequate safeguards, and whether companies acted quickly enough when problems became clear.
What Meta says
Meta has consistently said that protecting young users is a priority. The company points to tools such as parental supervision features, default privacy settings for teens, limits on direct messaging, and investments in AI-driven content moderation.
It also argues that holding platforms legally responsible for criminal misuse risks oversimplifying a complex problem that involves law enforcement, parents, and society more broadly.
Still, critics counter that safety features were introduced only after years of internal warnings and public pressure.
Implications for the tech industry
For the broader tech ecosystem, the case is being closely watched as a potential blueprint for future enforcement. If New Mexico succeeds, other states may feel emboldened to bring similar claims — increasing litigation risk for social media, gaming, and messaging platforms with large youth audiences.
Startups and mid-sized platforms could also face higher compliance expectations, particularly around age verification, content moderation, and product design choices that affect minors.
Investors, meanwhile, are increasingly factoring regulatory exposure into valuations, especially for consumer-facing platforms reliant on engagement-driven growth.
What happens next
The case will now proceed toward trial, a process that could take months or longer. Even without a verdict, the proceedings may force Meta to disclose internal documents and decision-making processes related to child safety.
For policymakers and regulators, the trial represents a test of whether state laws can meaningfully influence platform behavior where federal action has lagged.
For Meta, it is another reminder that legal battles over the social impact of social media are no longer hypothetical — they are becoming a regular part of operating at global scale.
