New Mexico has turned its child-safety case against Meta into one of the sharpest financial and regulatory rebukes yet aimed at Big Tech. The company now faces a $942 million bill — and a court-ordered rewrite of how minors use its platforms in the state.

The escalation came Thursday, when a New Mexico judge added a $567 million fine to the $375 million penalty imposed in March over social-media addiction and harms to children. The ruling found that Meta’s products had contributed to risks including sexual exploitation, disrupted education and worsening mental-health outcomes. “Significant numbers of people in New Mexico experience harm from Meta’s products,” the order said.¹

The judge said Meta was not alone in contributing to a youth mental-health crisis, but concluded that its services played a substantial role and constituted a public nuisance that must be abated. The remedy reaches beyond money: Like counts for users under 18 would require parental or guardian approval, push notifications would be blocked from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and minors’ use would be capped at 90 hours a month.

For Attorney General Raul Torrez, the decision is a verdict on Meta’s priorities. “For years, Meta knew its platforms were harming New Mexico’s kids, from feeding a youth mental health crisis to connecting predators with children, and it chose engagement and profit over their safety,” he said. He argued the judgment would hold the company accountable while forcing concrete operational changes.¹

Meta rejects that account and says it will appeal. Spokesman Andy Stone said the company works to protect users, has been candid about the difficulty of removing harmful content and remains confident in its teen-safety record. “We will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts,” he said.¹

The New Mexico ruling follows a March loss for Meta in Los Angeles and lands as the company faces a consolidated federal lawsuit brought by 33 states, alongside separate state cases — widening the fight over whether platform design has helped create an addiction crisis for young users.