A jury has reached a verdict in a major New Mexico trial alleging that Meta failed to protect its apps from child predators. The civil trial, which began on February 9, alleges that the company violated state consumer protections laws and misled residents about the safety of apps like Facebook and Instagram. New Mexico attorney general Raúl Torrez is suing Meta in 2023 following an undercover operation involving the creation of a fake social media profile of a 13-year-old girl. The second phase of the trial will determine if Meta created a public nuisance and should fund public programs to address the alleged harms. This case is one of several social media-related trials this year that experts have compared to the Big Tobacco suits.