Kamal Ghorui
Meta’s ‘problems’ in the US over concerns related to child safety and mental health are increasing. According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the US state of New Mexico has asked a judge to declare Meta Platforms a public nuisance, seeking $3.7 billion in damages and court-ordered changes to its platforms. “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,” David Ackerman, an attorney for New Mexico, told the judge, the Reuters report noted.This comes as the state argues that Meta-owned social media platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, are contributing to a mental health crisis among young users across the country.
What we know about US state New Mexico’s lawsuit against Meta
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, including sexual exploitation.The current trial phase will determine whether Meta’s platforms qualify as a “public nuisance” under state law. Such a designation could allow the court to impose wide-ranging changes to reduce harm to young users.The case 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 said it will appeal that decision.
What Meta said about the New Mexico lawsuit
Meta has said it 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, Reuters noted.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 indicated concerns about the scope of these demands. “I am a judge, I am not a legislator, I am not a regulator,” he said, adding that he wanted to avoid turning the court into a “one-person legislature.”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. Ackerman argued that Meta has not taken sufficient action voluntarily, saying, “Meta doesn’t impose or implement safety procedures until it is forced to do so,” he said.However, Meta has warned that regulatory and legal challenges in the US and Europe could affect its business and operations.
