Biedscheid drew a comparison between Meta's operations and industrial pollution, describing advertising and content as the company's output while characterizing harm to children as a damaging byproduct that needs to be addressed. He said those effects can extend beyond Meta's services and create costs for children, families, schools, hospitals and law enforcement.
Meta said it plans to challenge the decision. "We disagree with the ruling and will appeal," a company spokesman said Thursday. "We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content," the spokesman added. "We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts."
The dispute originated with a lawsuit filed by New Mexico state attorneys in 2023. The state argued that Meta could be held responsible for exposing children to sexually explicit material and potential contact with sexual predators through its platforms.
During the first stage of the trial, Meta was found to have repeatedly breached New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act. The court determined that its recommendation systems directed younger users toward damaging material and contacts. Those systems determine which content is automatically presented to people using Meta's services.
The second stage focused on whether those harms constituted a public nuisance. Biedscheid concluded that they did, applying a legal concept covering widespread threats to public health or safety.
The judge likened the effects to pollution that escapes its original source. Rather than staying within individual Meta services, he said the consequences can spread across the broader internet and into offline life.
The financial penalty is paired with a series of remedial measures. Meta must establish a fund intended to reduce the effects identified by the court. Of the total, $420 million is designated for treatment related to harms already attributed to Meta's platforms, including support for relevant clinical and behavioral health services.
Other funding will support prevention and awareness programs, including training for teachers and health professionals dealing with social media-related risks to children.
The ruling also requires changes to Meta's treatment of minors. Accounts belonging to people under 18 cannot be recommended to adults, and adults must be prevented from messaging underage users.
Meta must also prevent minors from sending or receiving nudity and establish a one-strike rule for adults involved in child sexual exploitation. Like counts must be removed for users younger than 18.
The order places limits on notifications as well. Push alerts for minors must be disabled between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. During the typical school year, they must also be blocked between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays.
Usage restrictions go further. Users under 18 are to be limited to a combined 90 hours per month across Facebook and Instagram, equivalent to roughly three hours each day.
The New Mexico judgment adds to Meta's broader legal challenges over the treatment of younger users. The company faces thousands of US lawsuits involving similar concerns. It also lost a separate case in Los Angeles earlier this year that found it could face liability over the design of addictive platforms.
Bruce Daisley, a former European vice president at Twitter, now X, described the size of the New Mexico penalty as "a drop in the ocean" for Meta. The company reported $61 billion in revenue between April and June, a 28% increase from the same period a year earlier. "But it's an indication that we are moving to a stage where social media is going to be tackled around the world," Daisley told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Governments outside the US are also pursuing measures aimed at limiting children's exposure to social media. The UK and European Union have focused on safeguards governing how minors can be contacted or discovered online, while some countries are considering broader restrictions on children's access.
The UK has said that, alongside blocking social media access for children under 16, platforms would be expected to provide opt-out nighttime restrictions for older teenagers.
Meta also faces another significant US case in California, where nearly three dozen state attorneys general are suing the company over alleged violations of child privacy laws. That trial is due to begin next week.
This analysis is based on reporting from BBC.
Image courtesy of Don J. Usner/Searchlight New Mexico.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
