A Santa Fe district court judge has ruled that Meta must pay an additional $567 million as part of an ongoing legal battle over child safety in New Mexico. This decision follows a previous ruling that categorized Meta’s social media platforms as a 'public nuisance.' The court determined that the company’s business practices serve as a 'significant contributing cause' to a teen mental health crisis within the state, impacting public health and safety.

This latest financial penalty brings the total amount Meta is required to pay in this specific case to nearly $1 billion. The legal proceedings have centered on allegations that Meta’s platforms are designed in ways that endanger young users, with the state arguing that the company has profited from features that negatively affect the well-being of minors. While the court has sided with the state’s characterization of the platforms as a public nuisance, Meta has consistently maintained that it is not responsible for the broader mental health challenges faced by teenagers. The company has previously argued that it invests heavily in safety tools and parental controls, suggesting that the legal framework being applied in New Mexico is an overreach that ignores the complexities of adolescent mental health.