In a landmark ruling, a New Mexico state court has directed Meta to pay $567 million after finding that the company's platforms contributed to harm to children's mental health and constituted a public nuisance. The order follows a lawsuit filed in 2023 by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, who accused Meta of failing to protect children from online exploitation and harmful content.
The latest ruling comes after an earlier jury verdict that had already imposed $375 million in civil penalties on Meta. Together, the company's total liability in the case now stands at $942 million.
The court ordered Meta to create a five-year teen mental health fund, with a substantial portion of the money allocated to treatment, prevention, and awareness programs. It also directed the company to introduce stronger safety measures, including restrictions on push notifications for minors, improved age verification, safeguards for AI chatbots, and enhanced protection against online predators.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled that Meta's platform design—not merely user-generated content—contributed to the harm suffered by children. The court rejected Meta's argument that it was protected under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in this case.
Meta has strongly disagreed with the ruling and announced that it will appeal. The company said it has invested heavily in protecting young users and continues to improve safety tools across Facebook and Instagram.
Legal experts believe the decision could become a major precedent for future lawsuits against social media companies, as governments around the world increase scrutiny of the impact of digital platforms on children's mental health and online safety
