Meta faces New Mexico lawsuit over allegations of harming child users

SANTA FE, N.M. — Meta faces a major trial beginning Monday in Santa Fe following allegations by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office that the company knowingly allowed predators to use Facebook and Instagram to exploit children.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez claims evidence shows Meta’s platforms created a dangerous environment that exposed children to abuse, solicitation, and human trafficking. The lawsuit alleges that Meta’s design choices and profit motives prioritized user engagement over the safety of minors.

Meta has denied the allegations, asserting a long-standing commitment to supporting and protecting young users. The trial follows an investigation by The Guardian and is expected to last approximately seven weeks.

A judge previously rejected Meta's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit under Section 230, a federal law that typically shields platforms from liability for user-generated content. The court ruled that the case can proceed because it targets Meta’s specific product designs rather than the content itself.

The litigation emerging in New Mexico and Los Angeles marks a strategic pivot in the legal campaign against Big Tech. Plaintiffs are now successfully circumventing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act—the liability shield that has insulated social media platforms for decades—by shifting the focus from third-party content to "product design" and internal corporate governance.

Legal teams are opening a new front by arguing that Meta’s proprietary algorithms and platform features do not merely host content, but actively funnel minors into high-risk environments. By targeting the architecture of the platforms rather than the speech they host, the lawsuits contend that the company must be held liable for the systemic harms built into its software.

The parallels being drawn to historic litigation against the tobacco and pharmaceutical industries are significant. This reflects a broader shift in the legal and public consciousness: social media’s impact is increasingly framed as a public health crisis rather than a tech-sector friction.

Should these cases prevail, they could establish a precedent that forces Meta to dismantle a core business model currently optimized for maximum user engagement at any cost. Beyond the prospect of multibillion-dollar settlements, the imposition of court-mandated safety standards and design requirements would fundamentally reshape the economics of the social media industry.

Child safety on social media is a universal priority for parents across the United States, transcending all ethnic backgrounds. For Vietnamese-American families—whether they are gathering in the heart of Little Saigon or balancing life behind the counters of nail salons and phở restaurants—the anxieties surrounding toxic content, cyberbullying, and mental health risks are deeply felt. The outcome of these legal proceedings could fundamentally reshape the platforms our children use daily, potentially mandating more robust design standards and safety controls to protect the next generation’s digital well-being.