New Mexico Court Adds $567 Million to Meta Child Safety Penalty
A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million in a case concerning alleged social-media harms and addiction among young people. Combined with the $375 million penalty levied in March, the ruling brings Meta’s total fines in the state to $942 million.
The order also requires changes to Meta’s platforms. Like counts must be removed for users under 18 unless a parent or guardian approves their display. Push notifications to underage users must be paused from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., while their platform use must be limited to 90 hours each month, or roughly three hours a day.
Platform design changes ordered
The judge said significant numbers of people in New Mexico experience harm from Meta’s products through risks of sexual exploitation, interference with education and adverse mental-health outcomes. While acknowledging that Meta is not the only platform associated with a youth mental-health crisis in the state, the ruling said its services play a significant part.
The court characterised the company’s conduct as a significant public nuisance in New Mexico and said Meta must abate it. The prescribed measures focus on visible engagement signals, notifications and time spent by minors, placing specific operating constraints on features used across social platforms.
Meta plans an appeal
Meta said it intends to appeal the judgment. Spokesperson Andy Stone said the company works to keep people safe on its platforms, has been transparent about the difficulty of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content, and remains confident in its record of protecting teenagers online.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said Meta had known its platforms were harming children in the state and had chosen engagement and profit over safety. He said the judgment holds the company accountable for harm to children, families and schools and compels changes to its operations in New Mexico.
Wider litigation pressure
The decision follows a March loss for Meta in Los Angeles, where a court also ruled against the company over allegedly addictive patterns. The company faces other cases across the United States, including a joint lawsuit brought by 33 states and consolidated in federal court in Oakland, California. Tennessee and other states have filed separate cases.
The litigation comes as scrutiny of social-platform design continues to develop. In the context of Meta social media lawsuit dismissal, the New Mexico order shows how disputes involving Meta can move from claims about platform practices to detailed requirements governing youth-facing product features.
For businesses that operate consumer digital products, the practical implication is that controls for minors, parental approval flows, notification timing and usage limits may need to be designed as core product capabilities where regulators or courts require them.