SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta culpable for failing to protect the state’s teenagers on the digital giant’s platforms and ordered the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to pay a $375 million penalty.

The civil penalties were levied for violations of New Mexico’s consumer protection laws, The Albuquerque Journal reported. Jurors found Meta liable for both claims brought by New Mexico under the state’s Unfair Practices Act, according to the newspaper.

The landmark decision comes after a trial that lasted nearly seven weeks, The Associated Press reported.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta Platforms and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2023, accusing it of misleading consumers about the safety of its platforms, according to The New York Times. In the civil complaint, plaintiffs argued that Meta’s lax security protocols opened the door for sexual predators to get in touch with minors.

“The jury’s verdict is a historic victory for every child and family who has paid the price for Meta’s choice to put profits over kids’ safety,” Torrez said in a statement. “Meta executives knew their products harmed children, disregarded warnings from their own employees and lied to the public about what they knew.”

The next phase of New Mexico’s legal action against Meta will be a bench trial, the Journal reported. The state will seek more financial penalties and court-mandated changes to Meta’s platforms that will strengthen protections for children, according to the newspaper.

“New Mexico is proud to be the first state to hold Meta accountable in court for misleading parents, enabling child exploitation, and harming kids,” Torrez said.

Attorneys for Meta said the company would appeal the decision, the Times reported.

“We will continue to defend ourselves vigorously, and we remain confident in our record of protecting teens online,” Andy Stone, a company spokesperson, said in a statement.

The verdict was the first legal setback for Meta, in a series of trials scheduled for this year, the Times reported.

In Los Angeles, a jury has been deliberating for more than a week in a social media addiction trial. A complaint accuses Meta and YouTube of harming the mental health of a user through addictive design features, according to the newspaper.

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