A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million in penalties over claims that its social media platforms contributed to child safety harms and addictive online behaviour.
The latest ruling comes on top of a $375 million fine imposed in March, bringing the total financial penalties against the company in the case to $942 million.
Alongside the financial penalty, the court ordered Meta to introduce several platform changes for users in New Mexico. Under the ruling, Like counts must be hidden from users under the age of 18 unless parents or guardians approve their visibility. The court also directed the company to suspend push notifications to minors between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and limit their social media usage to 90 hours per month.
“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 court order stated.
The judge acknowledged that Meta is not the only technology company contributing to youth mental health concerns but concluded that its platforms play a significant role. The ruling found that the company had created a substantial public nuisance within the state and must take steps to address it.
Meta confirmed that it intends to appeal the decision.
“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. We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts,” company spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed the judgment, saying:
“For years, Meta knew its platforms were harming New Mexico’s kids, from feeding a youth mental health crisis to connecting predators with children, and it chose engagement and profit over their safety.”
He added:
“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 legal setback for Meta in March, when a court in Los Angeles found the company liable in a separate case involving allegations that its platforms encouraged addictive behaviour among young users.
Meta also continues to face multiple legal challenges across the United States, including a consolidated federal lawsuit brought by 33 states in California, as well as separate actions filed by several individual states over child safety and social media addiction concerns.
