New Mexico AG says Meta's national settlement falls short of state's court-ordered safeguards
New Mexico's attorney general says Meta's $18 billion nationwide settlement omits protections his state won at trial, such as banning romantic AI chatbot interactions with minors. He calls the deal historic but weaker than the $942 million judgment New Mexico secured. Child safety experts concur that the national agreement falls short.
New Mexico's $942 million judgment against Meta stemmed from two separate rulings: a March jury verdict covering 75,000 consumer protection violations and an August court finding that the company created a public nuisance. The state joined the nationwide settlement weeks after securing those victories. The national deal, pending court approval, includes a two-hour daily time limit for minors, a midnight-to-6 a.m. block, and an independent compliance auditor.
Meta's chief legal officer urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same restrictions, noting teens use multiple platforms. The child advocacy group Fairplay praised the settlement's sleep protections as significant but echoed Torrez's concerns about its limits. Neither TikTok nor YouTube responded to requests for comment.
This settlement could reshape how social media platforms design features for minors nationwide, potentially establishing industry-wide norms that extend beyond Meta. Parents and children may benefit from reduced exposure to addictive design, though the gap between New Mexico's stricter court-ordered protections and the national terms suggests enforcement and scope may vary by jurisdiction. The outcome could influence future litigation and regulatory approaches to child safety online.