A New Mexico state court judge on Thursday ordered Meta to pay $567 million and overhaul how children interact with Facebook and Instagram, finding that the company is a “public nuisance” that has contributed to the mental health crisis among the state’s youth. Of that total, $420 million will fund treatment for New Mexico minors harmed by the platforms; the rest will go toward public awareness and prevention efforts.
The ruling is the first final judgment in the wave of children’s online safety lawsuits filed by state attorneys general across the country, making it a bellwether for the dozens of similar cases still pending. In addition to the monetary penalty, the judge barred Meta from sending push notifications to under-18 users between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and limited youth accounts to 90 hours of platform use per month. The order also requires Facebook and Instagram to display public awareness screens about their child-protection features. A separate March jury verdict in the same case had already issued a $375 million fine. Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.