New Mexico asks judge to order Meta changes and $3.7 billion in second phase of youth-safety trial
The Facts
- Opening statements began Monday in the second phase of New Mexico's lawsuit against Meta, and this phase is being tried as a bench trial before a judge.
- New Mexico is asking the judge to declare Meta's Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms a public nuisance and to order changes aimed at protecting young users.
- The state is seeking about $3.7 billion in remedies from Meta in this phase of the case.
- The lawsuit brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleges that Meta designed its platforms in ways that addict young users and failed to protect children from sexual exploitation.
- This trial phase follows a March jury verdict that found Meta liable under New Mexico law and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties or damages.
- Meta has said it plans to appeal the earlier March verdict.
- Prosecutors are seeking court-ordered changes to Meta's products and algorithms, including measures related to addictive features, age verification and child-safety protections.
- A central unresolved issue in the bench trial is how broad any court-ordered remedy can be, with the judge expressing concern about overreaching while Meta argues against an injunction that would restructure its policies.
Context
What is this phase of the case deciding?
This phase is focused on remedies and public-nuisance claims: the judge is being asked to decide whether Meta's platforms constitute a public nuisance and, if so, what changes or payments should be ordered KSLTV.com,news.bloomberglaw.c…,Albuquerque Journal.
What happened in the first phase?
In March, a jury found Meta liable under New Mexico law for misleading users about child safety and ordered $375 million in penalties or damages; Meta has said it will appeal that verdict theepochtimes.com,KSLTV.com,Curated - BLOX Digi….
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- A judge is now deciding not whether Meta was liable under New Mexico law, but what remedies should follow: roughly $3.7 billion and possible court-ordered changes to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp aimed at young-user safety.
- Where Left and Right split
- Whether this phase is mainly about forcing stronger protections for minors on platforms alleged to be addictive and unsafe, or about limiting how far a court can go in restructuring a private company’s products, algorithms and policies.
How left and right read it
What stands out here is the state’s claim that Meta designed Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in ways that addict young users and failed to protect children from sexual exploitation. With prosecutors seeking changes to products and algorithms, including age verification and child-safety protections, the case is fundamentally about whether a court can require stronger safeguards for minors.
The key issue in this phase is not just liability but the scope of judicial power after the March verdict that Meta plans to appeal. With New Mexico seeking about $3.7 billion and an injunction that Meta says would restructure its policies, the judge’s concern about overreaching goes to whether a court can impose remedies that reach deeply into how a private company operates.
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