A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay US$567 million for failing to warn the public about the dangers its platforms pose to children — the company's largest child-safety fine to date. The ruling adds fresh momentum to a wave of litigation and regulation targeting addictive social media algorithms across the US and UK.
A "Public Nuisance" Ruling
New Mexico Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled that Meta had created a public nuisance, ordering the money into a fund aimed at reducing future harm. Of the total, US$420 million is earmarked for treatment of harms already caused by Meta's platforms.
Meta has also been ordered to stop recommending accounts belonging to users under 18 to adults, and to prevent adults from messaging underage users. Additional requirements include removing 'like' counts for under-18s, pausing push notifications overnight and during school hours, and capping monthly usage for minors at 90 hours.
This latest penalty comes on top of US$375 million in civil penalties Meta was previously ordered to pay in the same case, which was originally brought by New Mexico state attorneys in 2023 over allegations that the platforms exposed children to sexually explicit material and predators.
"We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves."— Meta Spokesperson
A Broader Wave of Legal Pressure
The New Mexico case is just one of thousands of lawsuits Meta currently faces across the US. It follows a Los Angeles verdict in which a jury found Meta and Google liable for intentionally designing addictive features into apps including Instagram and YouTube.
That case, overseen by Judge Carolyn B. Juhl, was brought by a 20-year-old plaintiff identified as K.G.M., who began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine before developing anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. Her legal team pointed to infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations and auto-play as features engineered to hook young users. The jury awarded her US$3 million in damages, split 70% to Meta and 30% to YouTube, with further damages under consideration that could push the total payout to US$30 million.
Meta's Commercial Push Continues
Even as it navigates these safety battles, Meta is pushing forward commercially with paid AI subscription tiers under a new brand, Meta One, priced at US$7.99 (Plus) and US$19.99 (Premium) per month. The tiers run on Meta's new Muse Spark AI model, built by Meta Superintelligence Labs under Alexandr Wang, offering expanded compute, video and image generation, and workflow automation.
Regardless of how these commercial ventures perform, Meta's long-term trajectory will increasingly hinge on its ability to keep underage users safe online.