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Meta ordered to pay additional $567M in New Mexico child safety case, total $942M
Key points
- Meta ordered to pay an additional $567 million in New Mexico.
- Total payments in the case now amount to $942 million.
- Judge ruled Meta's platforms are a "public nuisance."
- Funds will address mental health impacts and child safety.
- Meta plans to appeal the ruling.
Court Orders Additional Payment
A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million into an abatement fund. This payment is part of a child safety case and brings the total amount Meta is responsible for in New Mexico to $942 million. The ruling was issued by Judge Bryan Biedscheid on Thursday.
Public Nuisance Ruling
Judge Biedscheid declared Meta's social media platforms a "public nuisance," comparing them to air pollution or a factory whose products (advertising and content) result in "psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children to be the pollution that must be abated." The judge stated that Meta's platforms are a "significant contributing factor" to the mental health crisis among New Mexico's youth.
The ruling follows a March jury decision that found Meta liable for violating New Mexico's unfair practices act, knowingly harming children's mental health, and concealing information about child sexual exploitation on its platforms. That initial verdict resulted in a $375 million fine.
Allocation of Funds
The newly ordered $567 million will be placed into an abatement fund. Of this, $420 million is designated for treatment services for young people in New Mexico who have been harmed by the platforms. The remaining funds will be used for awareness and prevention programs, screening services, assessment, referrals, coordination, implementation, quality improvement, and evaluation over the next five years.
Mandated Platform Changes
The court also mandated specific changes to how Meta's platforms function for users under 18 in New Mexico. These include removing 'Like' counts unless approved by a parent or guardian, pausing push notifications for underage users between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and limiting usage to 90 hours per month (approximately three hours per day).
Broader Implications
This case is considered a bellwether, as it is the first of dozens of similar lawsuits brought against Meta by state attorneys general. Meta has stated its intention to appeal the ruling. The New Mexico Attorney General, Raul Torrez, commented that the 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."
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Meta has been ordered to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund by a New Mexico court, adding to previous fines, due to its platforms' impact on children's mental health and alleged concealment of child sexual exploitation. These rulings, alongside 42 state lawsuits and thousands of other cases, could force Meta and other social media companies to implement product changes like stricter age verification and usage limits.
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million to fund youth mental health treatment, ruling that the company's social media services created a "public nuisance." This payment is in addition to $375 million in civil penalties previously ordered by a jury for violating state consumer protections and misleading parents about app safety.
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and implement new restrictions on youth usage of its platforms, including limits on push notifications and monthly engagement hours. This ruling is the first of its kind among dozens of similar lawsuits filed by state attorneys general, setting a precedent for how social media companies may be held accountable for youth well-being.
A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million fine, bringing the total to $942 million, in a case concerning social media harms and addiction among children. The court also mandated platform changes in New Mexico, including removing 'Like' counts for minors without parental approval and limiting push notifications and usage hours for underage users. This ruling sets a precedent for how social media platforms might be regulated to protect minors, potentially influencing similar ongoing lawsuits against Meta.
A Santa Fe district court ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million in New Mexico's child safety case, bringing the total charges to nearly $1 billion. The court found Meta's platforms to be a "significant contributing cause" of a teen mental health crisis, impacting public health and safety in New Mexico. This ruling sets a precedent for holding social media companies accountable for their platforms' effects on young users.
A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million into an abatement fund, following a ruling that the company's platforms constitute a "public nuisance" harming teen users. This new penalty brings the total ordered payments to $942 million and requires Meta to implement specific safety changes for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram. The ruling sets a precedent for holding social media companies accountable for the real-world impact of their platforms on young users.
A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million into an abatement fund as part of a public nuisance case related to alleged harms caused by its apps to children. This ruling follows a previous $375 million penalty for violating New Mexico's unfair practices act and requires Meta to improve age assurance models and tools.
A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million into a fund addressing mental health impacts on children from its platforms, bringing the total liability to $942 million. This ruling follows a March jury decision that found Meta liable for knowingly harming children's mental health and concealing child sexual exploitation, marking the first time Meta has been found liable for acts committed on its platform.
A US judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million for failing to warn about platform dangers to children, bringing the total fine in the case to $942 million. This ruling marks the largest child safety penalty against Meta and is the first time a social media company has been deemed a "public nuisance."