A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta Platforms (META) to pay a total of $942 million in penalties and remediation funds over child safety failures on its platforms, marking the first time a social media company has been designated a "public nuisance." Public nuisance law has historically been used to hold industries accountable for widespread societal harm, with past applications targeting tobacco, lead paint, and opioid manufacturers.

Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled Thursday that Meta must pay an additional $567 million on top of a $375 million fine previously ordered in the same case. The ruling found that Meta exposed children to harmful experiences through its platforms.

🇺🇸 A New Mexico judge just ordered Meta to pay $942 million after finding the company exposed kids to harmful experiences on its platforms. $375 million in penalties, and another $567 million into a fund meant to address the damage. It's the biggest hit Meta has taken yet over… pic.twitter.com/0LpWsvzaAS

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 7, 2026

Judge Biedscheid compared Meta to a factory whose product causes pollution, with the pollution in this case being psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children. The judge wrote that Meta's harms "do not stay contained by its platforms and, instead, migrate to the internet as a whole and, perhaps most concerning, to the real world."

A Meta spokesperson said: "We disagree with the ruling and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and remain confident in our record of protecting teens online." Meta has indicated it will appeal both verdicts.

The case was originally brought in 2023 by New Mexico's attorneys general, who argued that Meta's recommendation algorithms steered young users toward harmful content and sexual predators. In the first phase of the trial, Meta was found to have violated New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act. Thursday's ruling extended that finding to the level of public nuisance, a designation never before applied to a social media company. The ruling arrives amid a wave of state-level legislation aimed at social media platforms, with states including Utah, Florida, and Texas having passed laws restricting minors' access to platforms and requiring parental consent.

Allocation of Funds and Mandated Platform Changes

Of the $567 million ordered Thursday, $420 million is earmarked for clinical and behavioral health programs to treat harms already caused by Meta's platforms. The remainder will fund awareness and prevention training for teachers and healthcare professionals.

The judge also ordered a series of platform changes, including:

• Banning adult users from messaging minors
• Eliminating "like" counts for users under 18
• Restricting push notifications for underage users between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. daily
• Capping usage for users under 18 at 90 cumulative hours per month across Instagram and Facebook, roughly three hours per day
• Implementing a one-strike policy for adults who engage in child sexual exploitation
• Banning nudity being sent or received by underage users

The court-ordered usage cap of 90 hours per month and the nighttime notification restrictions go beyond typical voluntary measures social media platforms have adopted for teen users.

Meta's Financial Position and Ongoing Legal Battles

Despite the headline fine, Meta posted $61 billion in revenue for the April-to-June quarter, up 28% year over year. Bruce Daisley, former European VP at Twitter, called the New Mexico fine "a drop in the ocean" for the company.

Meta is currently facing thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States. Earlier this year, the company lost a landmark Los Angeles case that found it could be held liable for building addictive platforms.

Next week, a separate California trial begins with nearly 30 state attorneys general suing Meta for violating child privacy laws.