New Mexico continues to push for change Meta Attorney General Raul Torrez told CNBC on Wednesday after a jury decided to hold the company liable for failing to protect children on its platform.
“We’re going to seek injunctive relief,” Torres said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” about the next step in the lawsuit addressing the state’s public nuisance claims.
“That means changes to the design features of the platforms themselves, real age verification, algorithm changes, independent monitors to monitor those changes, and basically requiring them to do business differently in New Mexico,” he said.
A jury ruled Tuesday that Meta must pay the state $375 million for failing to comply with New Mexico laws related to torts. Lawyers in the state argued that Meta misled residents about the safety of its app regarding child sexual exploitation and related harms.
The ruling could affect the outcome of several similar social media-related lawsuits in the U.S. and could influence future regulation. The safety of social media, especially for minors, has raised legal questions in a high-profile case that has been compared to the “Big Tobacco” trials of the 1990s.
A jury in another personal injury trial involving Meta and Google-owned YouTube has been deliberating in Los Angeles Superior Court since March 12.
Following the New Mexico jury’s decision, a Meta spokesperson said: “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and intend to appeal.”
“We work hard to keep people safe on our platform and clearly recognize the challenge of identifying and removing malicious actors and harmful content,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously and remain confident in our track record of protecting teens online.”
The second phase of the non-jury trial begins on May 4 and will determine whether Meta caused a public nuisance and whether it should fund programs to address the alleged harm.
“We will seek additional financial relief from the state of New Mexico to remedy this problem, support our children, and build a safe digital environment,” Torrez said.
Torres said Wednesday that the state’s lawsuit focuses on Meth’s products and how the company “created a dangerous and addictive environment for children.”
“We were also able to show that the company’s safety team has been recommending and highlighting the dangers of these features for many years,” he said. “They were ignored many times by Mr. Zuckerberg and other executives, and I think fundamentally that’s what made the difference in this case.”
Torrez said the ruling sends a message to the entire tech industry, calling on Congress to take steps to regulate the sector.
CNBC’s Jonathan Vanian contributed to this report.
