WATCH LIVE: Raul Torrez calls it a victory as New Mexico court orders Meta safeguards for children
The court also ordered Meta to expand safety measures on Facebook and Instagram in NM.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
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A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to fund $567 million in programs addressing youth mental health and sexual exploitation linked to its platforms, marking the state’s second major legal victory against the social media company this year.
The money will not be paid directly to the state. Instead, Meta must place it into a five-year abatement fund supporting prevention, screening, treatment and other services intended to address the harms identified by the court.
The ruling comes in addition to $375 million in civil penalties imposed earlier in the case, bringing Meta’s combined financial obligations to $942 million.
A Meta spokesperson told KOAT it disagrees with the latest ruling and plans to appeal:
“We disagree with the ruling and will appeal. 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.”
How the $567 million must be spent
The state initially proposed a 15-year plan, but the court reduced the abatement period to five years.
Under the order, Meta must fund:
- $33 million for awareness and prevention
- $90 million for screening and assessment
- $15 million for referrals, connections to services and coordination
- $420 million for treatment
- $9 million for implementation, quality improvement and evaluation
Meta must file public compliance reports with the court and provide them to the state twice a year, on June 30 and Dec. 31.
“This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world’s largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “Today’s decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online.”
New Mexico’s case against Meta
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023, alleging Facebook and Instagram exposed children to serious mental health risks, grooming, sextortion, child sexual abuse material and other forms of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation.
The lawsuit also accused Meta of failing to adequately disclose those risks to users.
The case has drawn national attention because of the legal protections that have historically made it difficult to hold social media companies responsible for content and harms connected to their platforms.
The lawsuit was divided into two phases.
During the first phase, a jury found Meta violated New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act and imposed $375 million in civil penalties.
In the second phase, a Santa Fe district judge ruled Thursday that Meta’s platforms created a public nuisance by substantially interfering with public health, safety, education, law enforcement and community welfare.
Court cites Meta’s reach in New Mexico
The ruling cited Meta’s internal data showing that its platforms have a significant presence in the state.
New Mexico averaged approximately 180,000 monthly active Instagram users between the ages of 13 and 17 from 2018 to 2024, according to the data cited by the court.
In March 2024, Instagram had 195,453 monthly active New Mexico users ages 13 to 17. The platform also had approximately 1.03 million adult monthly active users in the state.
New Mexico educators testified that students were regularly “glued to their phones.”
The court also found that Meta’s platforms exposed children to serious risks involving grooming, sextortion, child sexual abuse material and other technology-facilitated sexual abuse.
One expert cited in the ruling estimated that 70,784 New Mexico children experienced technology-facilitated sexual abuse in 2023.
New Facebook and Instagram protections for minors
The order requires Meta to maintain several safeguards for New Mexico users who are known or estimated to be younger than 18.
Those protections include:
- Making Instagram accounts private by default
- Restricting Facebook friend access by default
- Keeping a minor’s private account out of general searches unless someone enters the specific username
- Prohibiting Meta from recommending minors’ accounts to adults
- Hiding “like” counts by default
- Limiting use to a combined 90 hours per month across Facebook and Instagram
Meta must also disable most push notifications for minors from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day.
During the school year, most notifications must also be disabled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
On Facebook and Instagram, Meta must continue displaying warnings when a minor may be communicating with a suspicious account or facing possible sextortion. The company must also blur images suspected of containing nudity.
The order additionally requires a one-strike policy for adults found engaging in child sexual exploitation. Meta must disable all associated accounts and use its most advanced matching tools to prevent those users from creating new accounts.
Law enforcement requirements
During the five-year period, Meta must fund training twice a year for state and federal law enforcement personnel investigating internet crimes against children.
The company must also disclose identified risks to users and continue documenting its compliance with the court’s requirements.
In May, Meta signaled that it could remove access to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in New Mexico if a judge ordered sweeping changes to its platforms. KOAT asked the company whether that remains a possibility following Thursday’s ruling. There was no immediate response from the social media company.
Stay with KOAT for any updates.
