New Mexico Court Adds $567M Fine, Orders Meta to Curb Teen Features
A judge ruled Meta's apps are a "public nuisance" to kids in New Mexico, ordering hefty fines plus curfews on notifications and usage caps for minors.
What happened: A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million on top of the $375 million it was already fined in March, bringing its total in this case to $942 million. The judge also ordered concrete product changes for the state: hide Like counts from users under 18 unless a parent approves showing them, pause push notifications to minors between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and cap their app usage at 90 hours a month, roughly three hours a day.
Why it matters: The judge found Meta's platforms are a significant "public nuisance" in New Mexico, contributing to sexual exploitation risks, disrupted schooling, and worsening teen mental health, even while acknowledging Meta isn't the only platform involved. It's one of several recent legal defeats for Meta, following a March ruling in Los Angeles over addictive design, and adds pressure as a 33-state lawsuit moves through federal court in Oakland and states like Tennessee pursue their own cases.
How it works, plainly: The court isn't just fining Meta, it's dictating specific settings for New Mexico's underage users. Like counts, a feature tied to social validation and comparison, would be hidden by default for teens unless a parent explicitly turns them on. Notifications would go silent overnight, and total monthly time on the apps would be capped, aiming to interrupt patterns the court says feed compulsive use and displace sleep, homework, and offline life.
The rollout: Meta has said it will appeal, meaning these New Mexico-specific rules could be delayed or overturned before ever reaching users' phones. For now, the changes apply only within the state, not nationally. Attorney General Raúl Torrez framed the ruling as forcing real operational change, while Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company remains confident in its teen-safety record and will keep contesting claims it says misrepresent the facts.