New Mexico Seeks Almost $1 Billion from Meta Over Child Safety

The New Mexico Department of Justice is pursuing nearly $1 billion from Facebook’s parent company, Meta. A jury in New Mexico found Meta liable for jeopardizing children’s safety and deceiving the public regarding its platform’s safety. Following this verdict, Meta was ordered to pay the state $375 million, as per the Unfair Practices Act.

A recent request was filed to compel Meta to deposit $953 million into a fund dedicated to supporting public education and behavioral health initiatives, reported SourceNM. This filing comes amid serious accusations against Meta from New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez. He alleges that Meta’s executives prioritized profits over children’s safety, ignored their employees’ warnings, and misled the public about known dangers.

Torrez claims Meta’s design choices facilitated the exploitation of children by predators. He asserts the company crafted its applications to be addictive for young users, subjecting them to harmful content promoting self-harm and eating disorders.

Initially, the state demanded a much higher abatement amount, which has since decreased significantly. A representative from Meta expressed during the trial that New Mexico’s Attorney General proposed mandates potentially compromising teen safety, infringing on parental rights, and limiting free expression.

The spokesperson noted that even the judge recognized these mandates might be excessive. They argued that the state’s case disregarded the many apps teens use and lacked scientific or legal basis for their demands against Meta. They also highlighted that Meta had introduced 13 new safety measures in the past year aimed at creating safe, age-appropriate experiences.

Alexandra Koch, a journalist at Fox News Digital, reports on urgent news events that impact national discussions. Her work includes coverage of major crises such as wildfires in Los Angeles, aviation incidents in the Potomac and Hudson Rivers, the Boulder terror attack, and floods in the Texas Hill Country.