A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to implement specific safety measures for minor users on its Facebook and Instagram platforms following a trial regarding children's mental health. Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the order on Thursday, which includes a 90-hour monthly time limit for users under 18 and restrictions on AI chatbots. The judge also fined the company $567 million, which is in addition to $375 million in civil penalties awarded by a jury in March.
The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico alleging that Meta knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed information regarding child sexual exploitation. During the proceedings, Biedscheid compared the platforms to factories and characterized psychological harm to children as a byproduct of their operation. Meta stated on Thursday that it remains confident in its record of protecting teens and intends to appeal the decision.
The court-ordered measures include mandatory warnings, hidden "like counts" for minors, and improved age-verification tools. The judge also ordered Meta to prevent the recommendation of child accounts to adults and to block messaging between minors and adults who do not follow them. However, Biedscheid declined to restrict features such as autoplay and infinite scroll, stating that since these features are used by competitors, a ban would harm Meta's business.
Individual users and families in New Mexico would notice concrete changes to their app interfaces, including hidden engagement metrics and increased requests for proof of age for those estimated to be under 13. However, legal experts like Peter Ormerod noted that federal privacy laws, such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, may complicate how Meta collects the personal data necessary to verify age. Parents would gain the exclusive right to override certain settings, such as hidden like counts, shifting the management of these features from the platform to the household.
The long-term impact involves how technology companies navigate a patchwork of state-level rulings versus federal standards. While the $567 million fine represents a significant financial penalty, the operational requirement to isolate New Mexico users via IP addresses introduces new technical precedents for social media regulation. A specific deadline for implementation was not reported, as the company has signaled its intent to challenge the ruling in appellate court. Meta maintains that it already offers safety tools, such as Instagram Teen Accounts, which allow for parental time limits and contact restrictions.