Meta faces injunctive relief suit in New Mexico over child safety harms
New Mexico's attorney general filed for injunctive relief against Meta on April 30, 2026, seeking court-ordered changes to protect children on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta responded by threatening to shut down its services in the state, claiming the demanded safety measures, including near-perfect age verification, are technically impossible to implement.
What happened
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed for injunctive relief against Meta on April 30, 2026, seeking court-ordered changes to how the company operates its platforms for children.
Meta responded by stating that complying with the state's demands, including a proposed requirement for 99% accuracy in age verification for users 13 years old or younger, would be technically impractical and impossible to meet. The company threatened to remove access to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for users in New Mexico if a solution was not reached.
Reported impact
The case follows an earlier phase in which a jury determined that Meta knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms, resulting in $375 million in civil penalties.
A bench trial was scheduled to begin May 4, 2026, to determine whether Meta constitutes a public nuisance and to address prosecutors' requests for changes including improved age verification, removal of addictive features, and enhanced privacy settings to prevent child sexual exploitation.
Index analysis
Torrez argued that Meta has demonstrated its capability to redesign products and comply with regulatory demands in other contexts, including for foreign governments, and that the company's refusal to prioritize child safety reflects a choice to favor engagement, advertising revenue, and profit.
Meta argued that singling out a single platform while hundreds of other apps are available to teenagers ignores the broader ecosystem and leaves parents without comprehensive support.
Governance controls
Meta stated it continuously improves child safety and addresses compulsive social media use on its platforms.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.