New Mexico Court Fines Meta $567M for Teen Safety Failures

The ruling, issued by Judge Bryan Biedscheid, adds to a $375 million jury verdict from March, bringing Meta's total liability in the case to roughly $942 million. Of that, about $420 million will fund clinical and behavioral health programs for teens already harmed, with the remainder supporting awareness and prevention campaigns.

Judge Biedscheid found that Meta created a public nuisance by designing platforms that encouraged addictive use among young users and failed to protect them from sexual exploitation content. He rejected Meta's argument that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shielded it from liability, noting the state challenged platform features and design, not user-generated content.

The court ordered Meta to implement specific safety measures, including mandatory age verification, a 90-hour monthly screen time limit for minors, and a ban on late-night notifications. The company must also strengthen controls on interactions between minors and adults, add safeguards for AI chatbots, and improve its system for handling child sexual abuse reports.

State Attorney General Raúl Torrez called the ruling a blueprint for other jurisdictions. Meta said it disagrees and will appeal, stating, '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.'

The case, initiated by New Mexico in 2023, is part of a broader wave of litigation. Roughly 40 states and 1,300 school districts have sued social media companies over similar public nuisance claims, and Meta faces additional lawsuits in the coming weeks in states including California and Tennessee.