New Mexico Judge Hits Meta With Nearly $1 Billion Penalty Over Child Safety Failures

A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay nearly a billion dollars after finding the company responsible for serious harm to young people’s mental health through Facebook and Instagram. The latest ruling on Thursday added $567 million to an earlier $375 million penalty from March, bringing the total to $942 million.

Judge Bryan Biedscheid described Meta as a public nuisance, comparing the psychological damage and risks of sexual exploitation on its platforms to pollution that must be cleaned up. He ordered the company to put the money into a special fund meant to reduce future harm and help those already affected. About $420 million of that total will go toward clinical and behavioral health programs for young people in the state, with the rest supporting awareness, prevention, screening and related services over the next five years.

The court also required Meta to put new safety rules in place. These include monthly limits on how long teens can use Instagram and Facebook, tighter controls on notifications, and blocks that stop adults from messaging users under 18 they do not know. The company must report on its progress every six months.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the decision a clear win for families. “This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world’s largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence,” he said. “Today’s decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online.”

Meta has said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. A company spokesperson stated, “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. We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”

The case began with a 2023 lawsuit claiming Meta knew its platforms were harming kids and exposing them to explicit content and predators while steering young users toward damaging material. The March jury verdict was the first time a state successfully held Meta liable in this way. A separate California case earlier this year also found the company responsible for addictive design features and awarded a young woman $6 million in damages.