ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico—A New Mexico state court has ordered Meta Platforms to pay $567 million into a fund aimed at addressing harm to children and teenagers linked to its social media platforms, concluding the second phase of a landmark child safety case brought by the state's attorney general.
The ruling by Judge Bryan Biedscheid found that Meta created a public nuisance by contributing to harm affecting young users and directed the company to finance treatment, prevention and education efforts over the next five years. The judgment follows a March jury verdict that ordered Meta to pay $375 million in civil penalties after finding the company violated New Mexico's consumer protection law. Together, the rulings bring the company's total liability in the case to $942 million, subject to appeal.
According to the court's order, about $420 million of the new award will fund treatment services for young people, while the remaining money will support prevention programs, public awareness campaigns, screening initiatives and related costs.
The lawsuit, filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, accused Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram in ways that encouraged compulsive use among minors, failing to adequately protect children from sexual exploitation, and misleading the public about the safety of its platforms. Earlier this year, a jury agreed that Meta had violated state law, paving the way for the court to consider additional remedies focused on preventing future harm.
As part of the latest order, Judge Biedscheid directed Meta to implement a range of safety measures on its platforms. The requirements include stronger protections for teenage users, expanded educational information about safety tools, limits on certain notifications and safeguards intended to reduce inappropriate interactions involving minors, while rejecting some proposals the state sought on First Amendment and technological feasibility grounds.
Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. The company has said it has invested heavily in tools and technologies intended to protect teenagers online and argued that it has continued to strengthen age-appropriate safety features across its platforms.
The New Mexico case is among the most significant legal challenges facing Meta over the impact of social media on children and teenagers. The company also faces lawsuits from other U.S. states and families alleging that aspects of its platform design contribute to youth mental health problems and expose minors to harmful content. The outcome is expected to be closely watched as similar litigation proceeds elsewhere in the United States.
