New Mexico Court Orders Meta to Pay Additional $567 Million in Child Safety Case

A New Mexico court has delivered another significant blow to Meta, ordering the company to pay an additional $567 million in a case concerning social media harms and addiction among young users. This latest ruling brings the total fines Meta must pay in the state to $942 million, following a $375 million judgment issued in March.

The court did not stop at financial penalties. The judge also ordered Meta to implement substantial changes to how its platforms operate within New Mexico, specifically regarding protections for children and teenagers.

Specific Platform Changes Required

The court mandated several concrete operational changes for Meta’s platforms in the state. The company must remove Like counts entirely and only show such engagement metrics to children under 18 with explicit approval from a parent or guardian.

Push notifications to underage users in New Mexico will be paused between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., effectively creating a nighttime restriction on platform engagement. Additionally, the court limited usage for minors to 90 hours per month, which averages to roughly three hours per day.

The Basis for the Ruling

The judge’s order cited widespread harm experienced by New Mexico residents due to Meta’s products. The ruling referenced risks including sexual exploitation, interference with education, and adverse mental health outcomes affecting significant numbers of people in the state.

While acknowledging that Meta is not the only platform contributing to the youth mental health crisis, the judge maintained that the company’s platforms play a significant part. The court determined that Meta has caused a substantial public nuisance in New Mexico and must take steps to abate that nuisance.

Meta’s Response

Meta has indicated it will appeal the judgment. Company spokesperson Andy Stone issued a statement defending the company’s practices. “We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” Stone said. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”

State Attorney General’s Reaction

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed the ruling with strong words for the social media giant. “For years, Meta knew its platforms were harming New Mexico’s kids, from feeding a youth mental health crisis to connecting predators with children, and it chose engagement and profit over their safety,” Torrez said in a statement.

“Today, Meta is paying for that choice. This judgment holds the company accountable for the damage it caused to our children, our families, and our schools, and it forces real changes to how Meta operates in New Mexico,” he added.

Broader Legal Context

This ruling follows another loss for Meta in Los Angeles in March, where a court similarly ruled against the company for creating addictive patterns among users. The company faces numerous other cases across the United States.

A notable joint lawsuit involving 33 states has been consolidated in an Oakland, California federal court. Several individual states, including Tennessee, have also brought their own cases against the company.

Implications for Social Media Regulation

This New Mexico ruling represents a significant development in the ongoing legal battles between state governments and major social media platforms over youth safety and addiction. The combination of substantial financial penalties and mandatory platform changes could establish precedents for similar cases in other jurisdictions.

The specific requirements imposed by the court, such as restricting engagement metrics and limiting notification times, reflect growing judicial willingness to mandate operational changes rather than relying solely on financial remedies.

As Meta prepares its appeal, the case continues to highlight the tension between platform business models based on engagement and growing public demands for stronger protections for young users. The outcome of this appeal could have far reaching implications for how social media companies approach youth safety across the United States.

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