Meta ordered to pay $942m in New Mexico child safety lawsuit
A US judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $942 million total—$567 million in a new fine plus $375 million in previously ordered civil penalties—for failing to protect children from sexually explicit content and predatory contact on its platforms. The court compared Meta to a public nuisance and ordered the company to establish a fund to abate future harms to minors.
What happened
A US judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567 million in an additional fine for its failure to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, in addition to $375 million in civil penalties a jury previously ordered, for a total of $942 million.
The 2023 lawsuit brought by New Mexico state attorneys argued that Meta's platforms endangered children by exposing them to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators.
Reported impact
Judge Bryan Biedscheid stated that Meta is a 'public nuisance' akin to air pollution, comparing it to a factory where advertising and content are the product and 'the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children' are the pollution that must be abated.
The court ordered Meta to create a $567 million abatement fund aimed at reducing future harms to children.
Index analysis
The case marks the first time a state successfully sued Meta over child safety issues.
Meta is currently facing thousands of lawsuits in the US over similar issues.
Governance controls
Meta stated it disagreed with the ruling and intended to appeal, saying it works to keep people safe on its platforms and has been transparent about challenges in identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.