New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567M more in child-safety case

A New Mexico court judge ordered Meta on Thursday to pay a $567 million fine, on top of the $375 million levied in March, in a case regarding social media harms and addiction. That brings the total fines Meta must pay to $942 million.

The court also ordered Meta to change how its platforms function in the state: the company must remove Like counts, and only show such metrics to children under 18 with approval from a parent or guardian. Push notifications to underage users in the state must also pause between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and their usage must be limited to 90 hours a month — roughly three hours per day.

The order said significant numbers of people in New Mexico experience harm from Meta’s products due to risks of sexual exploitation, interference with education, and adverse mental-health outcomes. The judge acknowledged Meta is not the only platform causing a mental-health crisis among youth in the state but maintained that its platforms play a significant part, finding that the company has caused a public nuisance in New Mexico that it is required to abate.

Meta said it is going to appeal the judgment, with a company spokesperson saying it works to keep people safe on its platforms, has been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content, and remains confident in its record of protecting teens online. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl 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.”

The ruling follows another loss for Meta in Los Angeles in March, where a court also ruled against the company for creating addictive patterns. Meta faces several other cases in the country, including a joint lawsuit by 33 states consolidated in an Oakland, California federal court, and separate cases brought by states including Tennessee.

Why it matters

The New Mexico ruling adds concrete, court-mandated product changes — not just fines — to the mounting legal pressure on Meta over youth safety, a pattern that could force similar design changes as more states pursue their own cases.