A jury has been deliberating in that case for over a week, and although they have reached a verdict on liability, they are currently deadlocked over the amount of financial damages to award. On Monday, they confirmed to a judge that they could not reach a consensus for one of the defendants, but it was not clear which one, the Los Angeles NBC affiliate reported.
In a separate federal trial in California, parents and several school districts are taking aim at Meta and other apps for allegedly harming children’s mental health.
While some social media companies have opted for settlements rather than endure costly legal battles over child safety, Meta has avoided these fights. Unsurprisingly, a Meta spokesperson confirmed to Ars on Tuesday that the company plans to appeal New Mexico’s decision.
“We respectfully disagree with the decision and will appeal,” a Meta spokesperson said. “We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content. We will continue to vigorously defend ourselves, and we are confident in our record of protecting teens online.”
Torrez is intent on proving that META can and should do more to protect children, he told CNBC on Tuesday. He hopes that any changes needed in New Mexico will change the way Meta’s apps are used around the world.
“One of the things I’m really focused on is how can we change the design features of these products, at least within New Mexico, and that will create a standard that can be modeled elsewhere in the country and, frankly, around the world,” Torrez said.
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