Meta Fined Rp5.3 Trillion, New Scandal Uncovered!

JAKARTA - Judges in the US state of New Mexico have ruled that Meta Platforms has violated consumer protection laws and ordered the company to pay a civil fine of US$375 million or around Rp6.3 trillion. This ruling is an important milestone in a wave of lawsuits against social media companies related to user safety, especially children.

The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who accused Meta of misleading the public about the security level of its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and failing to prevent sexual exploitation of children.

After less than a day of deliberation, the jury concluded that Meta knowingly engaged in unfair and misleading practices. This is the first time that such a claim against Meta has been decided by a jury, amid increasing legal pressure on the technology industry related to the impact of platforms on the mental health of young generations.

In his statement, Raúl Torrez called this ruling a "historic victory" for affected children and families. He considered the large fine to be a strong signal to technology companies that no entity is immune from the law.

"Meta chooses profit over the safety of children," Torrez said.

This case began with a secret investigation conducted by the prosecutor's office in 2023. During the operation, the investigation team created fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram by posing as users under the age of 14. As a result, the accounts received explicit sexual content and were contacted by adults looking for similar interactions - which then led to a number of criminal charges against the perpetrators.

The state also accused Meta of knowing about serious problems related to sexual exploitation and mental health impacts, but failing to take basic steps such as verifying users' ages.

In addition, features such as infinite scroll and autoplay are deliberately designed to increase engagement, even though they have the potential to trigger addiction, depression, and anxiety in children.

On the other hand, Meta denied all of the allegations. The company's lawyer, Kevin Huff, stated that Meta had provided adequate disclosure and worked hard to prevent harmful content.

The company also confirmed that it would appeal the ruling. "We disagree with this ruling and will appeal," a Meta spokesperson said, adding that the company faces a complex challenge in identifying and removing bad actors on its platform.

The ruling comes amid growing pressure on Meta and other social media companies, following whistleblower testimony in the US Congress in 2021 that revealed the company knew the negative impact its products had on teenagers but did not act.

In addition to the case in New Mexico, Meta is also facing thousands of other lawsuits across the United States accusing the company of deliberately designing an addictive platform for young people, triggering a national mental health crisis.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 2026, at which point prosecutors will ask the court to order significant changes to Meta's platform as well as possible additional financial penalties.

Even so, the market seems to be responding relatively calmly. Meta shares actually rose about 0.8 percent in after-hours trading, showing that investors still assess the short-term financial impact of this ruling as limited - at least for now.