Meta Platforms is facing increasing legal pressure in the United States over concerns related to child safety and mental health. According to a report by Reuters, the US state of New Mexico has requested a judge to declare Meta a public nuisance, seeking $3.7 billion in damages and court-ordered changes to its platforms.
New Mexico's Case Against Meta
During the hearing, David Ackerman, an attorney for New Mexico, stated, "Across the country, children are begging for help. You will hear testimony that confirms there is a mental health crisis, and that it is fueled and caused by social media. We need to fix it." The state argues that Meta-owned platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, are contributing to a mental health crisis among young users nationwide.
The case is part of a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, accusing Meta of designing its platforms to keep young users engaged and failing to protect them from risks such as sexual exploitation. The current trial phase will determine whether Meta's platforms qualify as a "public nuisance" under state law. If designated as such, the court could impose wide-ranging changes to reduce harm to young users.
This lawsuit follows an earlier jury verdict in March, which found that Meta violated consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the safety of its platforms for minors and ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages. Meta has stated it will appeal that decision.
Meta's Response
Meta has introduced measures to improve safety for younger users. During the hearing, the company argued that the state's case failed to meet the legal threshold for public nuisance. Alex Parkinson, an attorney for Meta, told the court that the lawsuit focuses on harms experienced by individuals rather than interference with a broader public right. "If social media is considered a public nuisance, then so is alcohol because of drunk driving, so are cell phones because of distracted driving, so are supermarkets that sell junk food," Parkinson said.
The state is seeking changes that include stricter age verification, adjustments to recommendation algorithms for minors, and limits on features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling. Judge Bryan Biedscheid expressed concerns about the scope of these demands, stating, "I am a judge, I am not a legislator, I am not a regulator," adding that he wanted to avoid turning the court into a "one-person legislature."
Broader Context
New Mexico's case is one of several legal actions across the US targeting social media companies over their impact on young users. Governments and school districts have increasingly used public nuisance claims in areas such as tobacco, opioids, and vaping, and are now applying similar arguments to technology platforms. The state maintains that court intervention is necessary, with Ackerman arguing that Meta has not taken sufficient action voluntarily. "Meta doesn't impose or implement safety procedures until it is forced to do so," he said.
Meta has warned that regulatory and legal challenges in the US and Europe could affect its business and operations.
