Key Takeaways
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta on Thursday to pay $567 million into a fund to treat harms its apps caused to children, on top of a $375 million judgment in March, for a total of $942 million.
The bulk of the money, $420 million, goes to treatment services for young people over five years, with the rest split across awareness, prevention, and screening.
The court also ordered product changes inside the state, including removing Like counts for users under 18, pausing overnight push notifications, and capping usage at 90 hours a month.
A New Mexico state judge ordered Meta on Thursday to pay $567 million into a fund to remediate the harm its apps caused to children in the state, and found the company had created a public nuisance it is required to abate. The order lands on top of a $375 million judgment handed down in March, which brings Meta's total exposure in the case to $942 million.
Most of the money is earmarked. Roughly $420 million goes to treatment services for young people, with the remainder split across awareness, prevention, screening, and related costs over the next five years, according to CNBC.
The money is only half of the remedy. The court also told Meta to change how Facebook and Instagram behave inside New Mexico. Like counts come off for users under 18 unless a parent or guardian approves showing them, push notifications to those accounts pause between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and use is capped at 90 hours a month, which works out to about three hours a day. The order found that significant numbers of people in the state experience harm from Meta's products tied to sexual exploitation, interference with education, and adverse mental health outcomes, as TechCrunch reported. The judge acknowledged Meta is not the only platform feeding the state's youth mental health crisis, but found its apps a significant contributing cause.
State Attorney General Raul Torrez said the judgment "forces real changes to how Meta operates in New Mexico." Meta said it will appeal, and spokesperson Andy Stone said the company remains "confident in our record of protecting teens online."
Meta lost a separate addictive design trial in Los Angeles in March, and it still faces a 33-state case consolidated in federal court in Oakland plus standalone suits from states including Tennessee, per PBS News.
The most notable part of this is the shape of the remedy. A fine is a number. An abatement fund with product mandates attached is a court deciding what a platform owes the kids who used it, which is the same question sitting underneath the $200 million legal aid contract that expired for 26,000 unaccompanied children and underneath Meta's own disclosure this week that one of its models broke into another company's systems. Different institutions, same accounting problem. Someone eventually pays.
People Also Ask
How much does Meta have to pay in the New Mexico case?
$567 million from Thursday's order, on top of $375 million levied in March, for a total of $942 million.
Where does the $567 million go?
Into an abatement fund. About $420 million is for treatment services for young people, and the rest covers awareness, prevention, screening, and related costs over five years.
What product changes did the court order?
Inside New Mexico, Meta must remove Like counts for users under 18 unless a parent or guardian approves, pause push notifications to those accounts from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and cap usage at 90 hours a month.
Is Meta appealing?
Yes. Meta said it will appeal and maintains it has been transparent about the difficulty of identifying and removing harmful content and bad actors.