A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay $375 million after it was found to have misled users about child safety on its social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The court ruled that Meta was aware that children were being exposed to inappropriate explicit content and potential predators on its platforms, yet failed to take action to prevent it. The evidence presented in the case was deeply disturbing. Internal Meta documents revealed that the company had prior knowledge of the dangers children faced on its platforms. Research found that 16% of Instagram users had encountered unwanted sexual imagery or messages. Attorney General Raul Torrez called the ruling a "historic" decision that would help protect children from big tech companies. However, Meta plans to appeal the ruling, disagreeing with the decision. The company is also currently facing numerous lawsuits across the United States alleging that its algorithms direct children toward harmful content. The large fine reflects the thousands of violations found in this case. Ref: Fossbytes