Meta Hit With $942 Million New Mexico Penalty Over Child Safety

Meta Hit With $942 Million New Mexico Penalty Over Child Safety
New Mexico has turned its fight with Meta into one of the costliest state-level reckonings over social media’s effects on children. The company now faces $942 million in penalties and a slate of restrictions aimed at reshaping how young users experience its platforms.

The dispute had already escalated in March, when a court imposed a $375 million penalty over allegations that Meta’s products contributed to youth harm and addiction. On Thursday, a New Mexico judge added $567 million, finding that the company’s role amounted to a significant “public nuisance” that must be addressed.

The order goes beyond the fine. Meta must remove Like counts for minors unless a parent or guardian approves their display; halt push notifications to underage users between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.; and limit their use to 90 hours a month, or roughly three hours a day. The court said large numbers of New Mexicans had been harmed by risks including sexual exploitation, disruption to education and negative mental-health outcomes.

Attorney General Raul Torrez cast the ruling as an overdue consequence for a company that, he said, “chose engagement and profit over their safety.” For the state, the judgment is not simply punitive: Torrez said it forces “real changes” in how Meta operates and responds to harm affecting children, families and schools.

Meta rejects that account and says it will appeal. Spokesperson Andy Stone said the company works hard to protect users, has been candid about the difficulty of removing harmful content and bad actors, and remains confident in its teen-safety record. He argued Meta would continue to fight claims that “misrepresent the facts.”

The New Mexico ruling follows a March defeat for Meta in Los Angeles and lands as the company confronts other state cases, including a consolidated federal lawsuit brought by 33 states in California.

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