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

New Mexico families now face a court-mandated fund of $567 million aimed at addressing documented harms to children from social media platforms. The August 7 ruling by Chief District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid adds to a prior $375 million civil penalty, bringing Meta’s total liability in the case to $942 million.

The order stems from a two-phase lawsuit filed by Attorney General Raul Torrez in late 2023. A jury in March found Meta violated state consumer protection laws. The second phase, a bench trial, determined that Meta’s platforms created a public nuisance under New Mexico law. Judge Biedscheid wrote that the platforms injure community-wide youth mental health and safety through design features that exploit developing brains and encourage problematic use.

Of the new $567 million, $420 million is designated for treatment programs addressing social media-related harms already suffered by children in the state. The remainder supports training and awareness efforts for teachers, counselors and health professionals. The court also required Meta to implement specific changes on Facebook and Instagram for users under 18, including default private settings, limits on adult contact, removal of like counts, a 90-hour monthly usage cap, and restrictions on push notifications during nighttime and school hours. WhatsApp was excluded from these operational requirements.

Meta stated it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal. A company spokesperson said the firm works to keep people safe and remains confident in its record of protecting teens. Torrez described the outcome as accountability for practices that endanger young users. The judge noted that Meta’s platforms are a significant contributing cause of harms but acknowledged other factors also affect youth mental health.

Meta faces thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide, including a consolidated case involving 33 states and a separate Los Angeles ruling on addictive design. Details on exact timelines for compliance and administration of the abatement fund could not be independently verified across available reports.