New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567 million over child safety and public nuisance
The ruling adds to a previous $375 million penalty, bringing Meta’s total liability in the case to $942 million. The company has announced it will appeal the decision.
A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million to an abatement fund after ruling the company constitutes a public nuisance for harming teen users on its platforms. This latest penalty follows a March ruling where a jury found Meta liable for violating state consumer protection laws, resulting in a $375 million fine. The combined financial liability for Meta in this case now stands at $942 million.
US District Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the ruling in the second phase of the trial, which focused on whether Meta’s platforms caused public harm. The judge likened Meta’s operations to factories, describing the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children on the apps as pollution that migrates from the digital space into the real world. The court determined that these harmful effects are not contained within the platforms but impact the broader internet and public health.
The financial penalty will be directed toward state programs, including youth internet safety training for teachers, school counsellors, psychologists, and healthcare professionals, as well as funding for community-based health centres. The court rejected the plaintiff’s request to alter Meta’s algorithms, despite arguments that they create harmful feedback loops, but mandated significant operational changes for Facebook and Instagram to mitigate future harm.
Specific measures mandated by the ruling include private-by-default settings for users under 18 on Instagram and limiting Facebook friends for underage users to other minors by default. Private accounts for users under 18 will be hidden from search results unless identified by username and cannot be recommended to other users. Additionally, adults not connected to underage users are prohibited from messaging them, and like counts must be hidden for teens.
Meta must also implement a 90-hour monthly usage cap for users under 18 across Facebook and Instagram, pause push notifications from 10 PM to 7 AM daily, and restrict notifications from 8 AM to 3 PM during the academic year. Daily information banners regarding safe practices and reporting tools will be displayed to underage users. The ruling does not apply to WhatsApp, as the court found it does not contribute to the public nuisance. Meta has stated it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal.
