A New Mexico judge has ruled that Facebook and Instagram constitute a public nuisance in the state and ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund for youth mental health treatment and prevention, along with implementing five years of youth safety changes.
First Judicial District Chief Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the ruling in Santa Fe on August 6, closing the second phase of a case brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez in December 2023. In his decision, Biedscheid wrote that although Meta is not alone in this regard, its platforms are "a significant contributing factor" to the youth mental health crisis established by the evidence in the case.
