{"id":1373,"date":"2026-08-08T16:04:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1373"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:04:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:04:59","slug":"new-mexico-court-fines-meta-567-million-for-harming-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1373","title":{"rendered":"New Mexico Court Fines Meta $567 Million for Harming Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Read more Trump Issues \u201cBirth Tourism\u201d Orders Following Birthright Citizenship SCOTUS Loss<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A New Mexico court on Thursday ruled that Meta must pay an additional $567 million fine on top of the $375 million a jury fined the tech giant in March for harms caused to teens and children who use its Instagram and Facebook social media platforms.<\/p>\n

First Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in his that \u201csignificant numbers of people in New Mexico experience harm from Meta\u2019s products due to risks of sexual exploitation, interference with education, and adverse mental health outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe harm to the impacted New Mexicans is not doubtful, eventual, or contingent, but an immediate, temporally connected, and highly probable result of Meta\u2019s actions,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe youth mental health crisis has inflicted significant and widespread harm in New Mexico in terms of the number of youth suffering mental health harms, the profound suffering they and those in their families suffer, and the resulting interferences with the functioning of the schools, law enforcement, [and] healthcare systems in New Mexico,\u201d the judge added.<\/p>\n

The case centered on allegations that Meta knowingly designed and operated Facebook and Instagram in ways that exposed children to harmful content, encouraged excessive use, and failed to adequately protect minors from exploitation. New Mexico officials argued that internal company knowledge and outside warnings showed Meta was aware of risks associated with its platforms but did not act sufficiently to address them.<\/p>\n

Most of the new fine \u2014 $420 million \u2014 will go toward funding youth treatment services, while the rest is designated for awareness and prevention, screening services, and other costs.<\/p>\n

Biedscheid\u2019s order also compels Meta to make changes to its platforms in New Mexico, including removing \u201clike\u201d counts and only showing them to minors with parental consent, and prohibiting overnight push notifications for users under age 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of whether it is labeled as an \u2018addiction\u2019 or \u2018problematic use,\u2019 the evidence at trial proved that design elements, such as autoplay, infinite scroll, \u2018like counts,\u2019 and push notifications create a product that, particularly for adolescent users, is highly rewarding psychologically and neurochemically,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAs a result, for many, it is irresistibly compelling to start scrolling and very difficult to stop or abstain from its use.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition,\u201d the judge added, \u201calgorithmic content recommendations can create harmful feedback loops and \u2018rabbit hole\u2019 users. Within a similar vein, \u2018like counts\u2019\u2026 can provide a potentially harmful focus for adolescent users.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company would appeal the ruling, claiming: \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Mexico Attorney General Ra\u00fal Torrez hailed the ruling, saying that \u201cMeta built products it knew would fuel addiction, deepen a youth mental health crisis, and expose children to sexual exploitation, then lied to parents and policymakers about the danger. Today, it pays for that choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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At Fairplay \u2014 a children\u2019s advocacy group \u2014 executive director Josh Golin hailed the \u201clandmark ruling\u201d as \u201cthe clearest indication yet that the tide is turning when it comes to protecting kids from social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time, Meta is being compelled by a court to change its dangerous and harmful design,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd with so many states lined up to sue Meta and other social media companies, we should expect to see a lot more injunctive relief to make online platforms used by young people safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ruling also clearly indicates why families need the Kids Online Safety Act,\u201d Golin added, referring to a controversial bill advanced this week by the Senate Commerce Committee. \u201cThe judge said it was up to Congress to address the addictive features on Instagram and other social media platforms. KOSA\u2019s duty of care against compulsive use is the key to ensuring that Meta and other social media companies stop designing for addiction, as addictive design is the root of all social media harms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin Mazzola, deputy director of research at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement: \u201cThis verdict is an important step towards creating safer social media for children and young people. For years, Amnesty International has warned that major social media platforms have been designed to maximize engagement and profit, while failing to adequately protect children\u2019s rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrucially, the court went beyond imposing a financial penalty,\u201d he continued. \u201cBy ordering changes to platform features, including removing \u2018like\u2019 counts for people under 18 and restricting overnight notifications, the ruling recognizes that the harms children experience online are often the result of deliberate design choices.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmnesty has been calling for exactly this kind of action,\u201d Mazzola added. \u201cChild safety must be built into platforms from the start, not added as an afterthought once harms are identified. This decision sends a clear message that social media companies cannot continue to prioritize engagement at the expense of children\u2019s well-being and rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said on Bluesky: \u201cThis is good news. For far too long, Big Tech corporations have put their bottom lines ahead of the health and safety of kids on their platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCongress must continue to push for accountability and real guardrails for companies like Meta as tech giants continue to grow,\u201d added Jayapal, who was critical of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act approved by the House of Representatives in June.<\/p>\n

US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also welcomed the ruling, posting on X that billionaire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s \u201cgreed is fueling a youth mental health crisis in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, a judge ordered Meta to pay a $567 million fine for the damage it has done to our kids,\u201d Sanders added. \u201cGood start. We cannot allow Meta to put its short-term profits above the emotional well-being of our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Blanche Suggests DOJ Could Use Victorian-Era Law to Ban Mailing Abortion Pills<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The company\u2019s total fines for exposing children to exploitation and harming their mental health now top $1 billion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Mexico Court Fines Meta $567 Million for Harming Kids - Smart Moving Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1373\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Mexico Court Fines Meta $567 Million for Harming Kids - Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The company\u2019s total fines for exposing children to exploitation and harming their mental health now top $1 billion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1373\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smart Moving Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T16:04:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1373#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1373\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ec0d70042821fd684a174c8d0e8becfa\"},\"headline\":\"New Mexico Court Fines Meta $567 Million for Harming Kids\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-08T16:04:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1373\"},\"wordCount\":1040,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1373#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1373\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smartmovinghome.com\\\/?p=1373\",\"name\":\"New Mexico Court Fines Meta $567 Million for Harming Kids - 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