New Mexico Wins $942M From Meta, Pushes Child Safety Laws

New Mexico just proved that holding Big Tech accountable for child safety isn't just possible—it's winnable, and the state isn't stopping there.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez secured a historic $942 million judgment against Meta earlier this year after a jury found the company knowingly allowed child sexual exploitation and mental health harms on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It was the first time Meta faced legal liability for harmful acts committed on its platforms.

Now Torrez is building on that momentum. He's working with state lawmakers to draft two bills that will strengthen consumer protections and child safety measures not just for social media, but for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and chatbots too.

The court ruling came with teeth. Meta must now implement age verification, enhance protections against child exploitation, limit overnight notifications, and enforce mandatory time limits for users under 18—all staying in effect for five years.

The $567 million from the second phase of the case will fund youth mental health treatment, with additional money going toward prevention and screening services. It's putting dollars directly where they're needed most.

What shocked Torrez most during the seven-week trial wasn't just what Meta allowed to happen—it was what the company knew. Internal emails revealed executives understood both the mental health problems occurring on their platforms and the widespread child sexual exploitation taking place.

Meta brought nearly 50 lawyers to fight the case and even threatened to pull Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp from New Mexico entirely. Torrez called their bluff, and the services remained available throughout the legal battle.

The Ripple Effect

Other states are watching closely. New Mexico's case has become a legal blueprint, with similar lawsuits now pending against Meta in multiple jurisdictions. In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury also found Meta and YouTube liable for intentionally designing addictive features.

Torrez is pursuing additional cases too, including another lawsuit against Meta focusing on data privacy and civic harms, with trial set for September. He's also preparing to file against an AI company whose chatbot has become a source of concerning emotional attachment for children.

The proposed legislation has already gained support from prominent political figures, including former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the Democratic nominee for New Mexico governor. She's expressed backing for the attorney general's efforts to expand protections beyond social media.

Meta maintains it has "strict, longstanding rules against child exploitation" and has invested billions in detection technology and safety features. The company cited removing 36 million pieces of child sexual exploitation content from Facebook and Instagram in 2025 alone and pointed to its introduction of teen accounts as evidence of its commitment to youth safety.

One state's determination to protect its children is creating a roadmap for the entire country to follow.