New Mexico Wins Historic Court Judgment Against Meta

New Mexico Wins Historic Court Judgment Against Meta

Total penalties now $942 million and Meta required to enact changes to make its platforms safer for children.

Late yesterday, the First Judicial District Court issued one of the most consequential rulings ever handed down against a social media company, ordering Meta Platforms, Inc. to pay $567 million in remedies aimed at the youth mental‑health crisis and imposing sweeping, court‑supervised reforms to Facebook and Instagram that will remain in place for five years. Combined with the $375 million civil penalty a jury awarded earlier this year, Meta now faces $942 million in total financial liability in New Mexico. 

This ruling marks the first time any court in the nation has held a social‑media company financially and structurally accountable for designing products that endanger children, and the first judgment to reject Meta’s Section 230 defense.

To read the full press release and a copy of the Court's judgment, visit https://nmdoj.gov/press-release/court-orders-meta-to-pay-942-million-and-overhaul-protections-for-children-on-facebook-and-instagram-in-landmark-new-mexico-ruling/

In Phase One, a jury found Meta committed 75,000 violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act and imposed the maximum penalties allowed under law. In Phase Two, the Court went further — ruling that Meta’s products constitute a public nuisance in New Mexico and that the company can be held liable for the dangerous platforms it knowingly built. 

Attorney General Raúl Torrez put it plainly:

“Meta built products it knew would fuel addiction, deepen a youth mental health crisis, and expose children to sexual exploitation, then lied to parents and policymakers about the danger. Today, it pays for that choice.” 

Five Years of Court‑Supervised Safety Reforms 

The Court ordered extensive reforms designed to protect children and prevent the harms proven at trial. These include: 

• Implementing more rigorous age verification for New Mexico users, including additional measures to accurately identify the age of users within the limits of federal law;
• Maintaining and strengthening protections for Teen Accounts in New Mexico;
• Requiring enhanced protections against sextortion and child sexual exploitation, including stronger safeguards for minors and tougher enforcement against offending adult accounts;
• Preventing minors from sending or receiving nude images that violate Meta's policies;
• Eliminating push notifications for users under 18 during overnight hours;
• Requiring default privacy protections for minors, including hiding public “like” counts;
• Imposing mandatory time-use limits for users under 18;
• Requiring prominent disclosures about the risks associated with Meta's platforms;
• Funding a statewide education and public awareness campaign in New Mexico;
• Providing specialized training and resources for New Mexico law enforcement investigating internet crimes against children; and
• Requiring Meta to file semiannual public compliance reports with the Court documenting its progress implementing every aspect of the order. 

These reforms are a direct response to failures exposed at trial, and they will reshape how Meta operates in New Mexico for years to come. 

A National Blueprint — and a Call for Legislative Action 

The Court noted that while it ordered sweeping reforms, hard age‑verification requirements must come from lawmakers, not the judiciary. Attorney General Torrez is calling on the New Mexico Legislature — and on Congress — to finish the job. 

“A courtroom can punish what already happened. Only a law can stop it from happening again.”

Attorney General Torrez announced he intends to close that gap through legislation, starting with a comprehensive social‑media safety bill mandating age verification statewide and updating consumer‑protection laws to reflect the modern digital economy. States across the country, including both red and blue states, have already begun similar efforts — a sign of strong bipartisan momentum. 

New Mexico led the nation in the courtroom. Now we have the blueprint to protect children everywhere. 

We will continue to keep you informed as the next phase of work begins — from implementing the Court’s order to advancing legislative reforms that protect all New Mexico children. 

Thank you for your partnership and continued commitment to youth safety.