SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta Platforms to strengthen safeguards for children on Facebook and Instagram, including measures aimed at improving the detection and reporting of suspected child exploitation, as part of a $567 million judgment against the company.
First Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the order on Thursday following the second phase of a case brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. The ruling follows a March jury verdict that found Meta violated the state's consumer protection law and ordered it to pay $375 million in civil penalties.
The combined penalties now total $942 million, with $420 million of the latest award designated for treatment services for young people and the remainder for prevention, awareness and related programs over five years, according to court reporting and the state.
The court-ordered reforms include stronger age-estimation measures, changes to privacy protections for minors and requirements for Meta to provide information and educational tools to help identify and report safety concerns involving children. Meta must also submit reports twice a year detailing its compliance with the order.
Child exploitation reporting was a central issue in the earlier trial. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children testified about shortcomings in Meta's reporting systems, including concerns surrounding its use of artificial intelligence to estimate users' ages and generate reports to the center's CyberTipline. Fallon McNulty, executive director of NCMEC's Exploited Children Division, told the state court that reliance on user reporting could limit the detection of exploitation, particularly on encrypted messaging services.
The case also examined Meta's use of end-to-end encryption in Messenger and its implications for the company's ability to identify and report suspected child sexual exploitation. Meta has disputed allegations that it failed to protect children and has said it invests heavily in safety systems. In a statement after the March verdict, the company said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal, while pointing to the challenges of identifying and removing harmful content.
Meta said it plans to appeal the latest judgment. The company has separately said that when it becomes aware of apparent child exploitation, it reports cases to law enforcement through NCMEC in accordance with applicable law.
The New Mexico order applies to Meta's operations in the state. The company now faces the compliance requirements imposed by Biedscheid's ruling while pursuing its appeal, with further reporting to the court required twice a year.
