Meta Ruled 'Public Nuisance,' Ordered to Pay $567 Million.

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make sweeping changes to protect minors on Facebook and Instagram. The ruling, issued Thursday by District Judge Bryan Biedscheid, found Meta's platforms created a public nuisance that harmed children's mental health.

• $420 million will fund mental health treatment for children and teenagers.
• $375 million in civil penalties came from a March jury verdict against Meta.
• $942 million is Meta's total New Mexico liability across both rulings.
• $60 billion was Meta's approximate annual profit in 2025; shares fell under 0.5%.

Why it matters: The ruling imposes both financial costs and direct operational changes on Meta — requirements that could spread to other states if courts adopt New Mexico as a template.

• The judge ordered Meta to delete accounts and personal data of users under 13.
• Push notifications must be off during school hours and late nights for users under 18 in New Mexico.

How 49 sources split on this story

Where they split: Whether the ruling's operational mandates are enforceable and constitutional is disputed — the judge declined to require algorithm redesign, citing First Amendment and Section 230 concerns.

What’s next: Meta will appeal both the $567 million and the $375 million New Mexico verdicts.

• A federal trial in Oakland, California opens later this month with 29 states as plaintiffs.
• Will appellate courts uphold the public-nuisance theory used to justify the $567 million abatement order?
• How far can state-level courts reach in mandating platform design changes for a global company?
• Will the New Mexico framework influence the outcome of the 29-state federal trial in California?