The landmark New Mexico ruling brings total penalties for Facebook’s parent company to nearly $1 billion over harm to children
A New Mexico judge has declared Meta a “public nuisance,” comparing the social media giant to a polluting factory. The ruling orders the company to establish an abatement fund and overhaul key features of its platforms over alleged harm to children.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid on Thursday ordered the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to pay an additional $567 million, bringing the total penalties in the case to $942 million after a $375 million judgment in March.
The ruling appears to be the first time a social media company has been found to constitute a public nuisance – a legal concept traditionally reserved for hazards that affect society at large, such as air pollution, toxic waste, or contaminated water.
“Just as noxious pollution produced by the factory can harm the common public right to reasonably clean air, the harmful effects of Meta’s platforms on children do not stay contained by its platforms,” the judge wrote, as quoted by the Financial Times.
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