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New Mexico First Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid at the end of the day Thursday in the , ordering the company to pay $567 million for an abatement fund to address the harms it has done to the state鈥檚 youth.

The case, which ended with written closing arguments in mid-June centered on the New Mexico Department of Justice鈥檚 allegations that Meta鈥檚 platforms 鈥� including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp 鈥� constitute a 鈥減ublic nuisance鈥� to teen health within the state. Among its list of demands, NMDOJ requested the court order the company to operate differently for its youth users; issue monetary relief; and appoint an independent monitor.

The jury-less bench trial followed a finding Meta violated New Mexico鈥檚 Unfair Practices Act, and misled the public on the risks of its sites for underage users鈥� mental health and risk of sexual exploitation. The verdict, which Meta said it would appeal, ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages.

In his decision, Biedscheid said Meta鈥檚 obligations to the abatement fund would last for five years, and include written reports on a semiannual basis as to the status and progress of its compliance with each of the abatement measures the court ordered.

In a news release Thursday evening, the New Mexico Department of Justice said the court鈥檚 order 鈥渞equires real, structural changes, not just promises, and provides the resources New Mexico needs to begin repairing the damage caused by Meta鈥檚 conduct.鈥�

The case, Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez said in a statement, 鈥渉as always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world鈥檚 largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence. Today鈥檚 decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online.鈥�

In a statement provided to Source NM by a Meta spokesperson, the company says it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal. 鈥淲e 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,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淲e remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: [email protected].

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