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Washington. After a seven-week trial in New Mexico, US, a jury has convicted social media company Meta of harming children’s mental health and hiding the risks associated with child sexual exploitation. This decision on Tuesday is being seen as a sign of increasing legal strictness on tech companies.

The jury ruled in favor of state prosecutors, saying Meta prioritized profits over security on its platforms. According to the jury, the company misrepresented information to the risks to children’s mental health and sexual exploitation and used unfair business practices.

$375 million fine

Under the decision, a fine of 375 million dollars i.e. about Rs 3100 crore was imposed on Meta. The jury acknowledged that there were thousands of violations by the company. However, this amount is less than the demand of the prosecution. The company’s market value is said to be around $1.5 trillion and its shares rose about 5 percent after the decision.

At present, Meta has not been instructed to make immediate changes in its functioning. Now a judge will decide whether the company’s platforms caused public harm and whether Meta must compensate. The next hearing of the case is proposed in May.

Meta expressed disagreement

A company spokesperson disagreed with the decision, saying Meta would appeal it. He says that the company is constantly making efforts to make its platforms safe and remove harmful content.

The lawsuit was filed by the Attorney General of New Mexico in 2023, alleging that Meta did not fully disclose the addiction, effects on children, and potential dangers associated with social media. The jury also examined issues such as restrictions on users under the age of 13, content to teen suicide and the promotion of harmful content by algorithms.

Meta’s lawyers argued that the company publicizes the risks and makes efforts to remove harmful content, although some content evades security mechanisms.