New Mexico pushes Meta on child safety

New Mexico plans to ask a Santa Fe judge on May 4 to force Meta to verify users’ ages and change how its apps work for children. (abqjournal.com) The request comes after a Santa Fe jury on March 24 found Meta liable under New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties. The jury found 75,000 violations at $5,000 each. (nmdoj.gov) Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in 2023 after an undercover operation used a fake profile for a 13-year-old girl and, he said, drew sexual images and solicitations from adults. The case targets Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. (cnbc.com) The next phase is a bench trial, which means Judge Bryan Biedscheid, not a jury, will decide whether Meta created a public nuisance and what remedies to impose. That hearing is scheduled to begin May 4 in First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. (cnbc.com) New Mexico says it will seek an injunction that reaches into product design. The state wants bans on infinite scroll, autoplay, engagement-based recommendations and push notifications during school and sleep hours for minors. (nmdoj.gov) The proposed order also would require private-by-default accounts for minors, block messages from unconnected adults to children, require a guardian account for every minor account and impose age verification for all New Mexico users. The state also wants a court-appointed child safety monitor paid for by Meta. (nmdoj.gov) Court filings described by the Albuquerque Journal say New Mexico also wants commitments from Meta to correct past statements and stop making misleading safety claims. The paper reported that Meta called the proposed demands “astonishing” and “stunningly broad” in a bid to delay the trial. (abqjournal.com) Biedscheid rejected Meta’s request to postpone the bench trial on April 9. Torrez said the ruling cleared the way for what he called the strongest child-safety protections yet sought against a social media company. (nmdoj.gov) Meta says it disagrees with the March 24 verdict and plans to appeal. A company spokesperson told CNBC that Meta works to remove bad actors and harmful content and remains confident in its record of protecting teens online. (cnbc.com) What happens in Santa Fe next month could decide whether New Mexico’s $375 million verdict becomes a larger test of whether a state court can order age checks, design limits and outside oversight for Meta’s apps. (cnbc.com)