A New Mexico court on Thursday ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million in civil penalties in a child safety case, bringing the company’s total liability to $942 million. The ruling marks the largest combined fine ever imposed on a social media company for platform harms to minors.
The judge ordered sweeping changes to Meta’s platforms, including removing Like counts for users under 18 and only showing engagement metrics to minors with parental approval. Push notifications to underage users must be paused between 10 PM and 7 AM, and their monthly usage should be capped at 90 hours, roughly three hours per day.
“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 Meta is not the only platform causing harm but maintained its role is significant.
The ruling builds on a March jury verdict that initially ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading consumers about platform safety and endangering children. State Attorney General Raoul Torrez said Meta executives knew their products harmed kids and disregarded warnings from their own employees.
Meta said it plans to appeal the judgment. “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,” spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement.
The case is part of a broader legal reckoning for Meta over youth safety. Twenty-nine states have sued Meta in federal court alleging violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. A separate federal trial in Oakland, California is scheduled for August, with 33 states seeking $1.4 trillion in combined penalties.
The New Mexico ruling carries implications for AI-powered recommendation systems. The court’s demand to cap usage and modify engagement metrics directly targets the algorithmic design that keeps young users scrolling. It sets a precedent for courts to order structural changes to AI-driven platform features.
Legal experts say the ruling could influence how other jurisdictions regulate AI algorithms on social platforms. With Meta already threatening to shut down services in New Mexico rather than comply, the case raises questions about the enforceability of algorithmic regulation.
Sources:
– TechCrunch: New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M
– TechCrunch: New Mexico hands Meta first courtroom defeat
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