New Mexico Meta Trial: Key Context Heading Into Closing Arguments

State prosecutors allege that Meta intentionally failed to publicly disclose the severe harms its social platforms pose to children and teenagers, including elevated risks of mental health harm and sexual exploitation.

Meta’s legal team has pushed back against these claims, noting the company has built a range of targeted safety protections for minor users and enforces strict policies to remove harmful content from its platforms. Even so, Meta has openly acknowledged that some dangerous material still slips past its existing safety safeguards.

Legal teams are now preparing closing arguments for jurors scheduled for next week, following Meta’s wrap-up of all witness testimony and evidence presentations on Friday. The trial has now entered its sixth week.

If jurors ultimately rule that Meta — which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp — violated New Mexico’s state consumer protection laws, prosecutors estimate total penalties could add up to billions of dollars. Meta has stated it will push for a completely different method to calculate any potential fines, should the ruling go against the company.

The trial, which launched on February 9, is one of the first high-profile cases to go to trial out of a flood of new lawsuits targeting Meta. It also comes at a time when school districts and lawmakers across the U.S. are pushing for stricter regulations on smartphone use inside K-12 classrooms.

A second planned phase of the trial, expected to begin as early as May, will be heard by a judge without a jury. That phase will determine whether Meta’s social media platforms create a public nuisance, and if the company should be ordered to pay for public programs to address the harms linked to its products.

Below is key context to follow for the trial’s potential outcomes:

---

Explore Related Topics

• Mark Zuckerberg

• Meta

• Social Media