Meta Ordered To Fund $567M New Mexico Youth Mental Health Plan
Ars Technica reported that a New Mexico judge ordered Meta to provide $567 million for treatment, screening, awareness and prevention after finding that its platforms contributed to a public nuisance.
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to provide $567 million for youth mental-health treatment and related services after finding that its social media platforms contributed to a public nuisance in the state, Ars Technica reported.
The order by Judge Bryan Biedscheid is separate from $375 million in civil penalties that a jury awarded in March 2026 in the same case.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez sued Meta in Santa Fe County in 2023 over Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
New Mexico Court Sets $567 Million Meta Abatement Fund
Biedscheid's judgment said the Phase 1 jury trial covered the state's Unfair Practices Act allegations and related civil penalties.
The judge then handled New Mexico's abatement request in a separate bench-trial phase focused on the public-nuisance claim.
Biedscheid's judgment made Meta responsible for reducing the nuisance the court found in New Mexico.
The court cited evidence of a youth mental-health crisis, including higher suicide and eating-disorder rates, and described public and community resources as burdened by the resulting harms.
The judgment connected part of that burden to harmful social-media use and engagement-focused design choices that kept teenagers on the platforms for longer periods.
It also listed risks involving child exploitation, school disruption and mental-health injury.
Fund Allocates Money For Treatment And Screening
According to the judgment by Judge Bryan Biedscheid, the abatement fund allocates $420 million to treatment, $90 million to screening and assessment, $33 million to awareness and prevention, and $24 million to other costs.
Biedscheid rejected a proposal to make Meta fund new community-based health centres and limited the services to five years rather than the 15 years New Mexico had sought.
The judge wrote that treatment is necessary to address mental-health and safety harms, but that requiring Meta to fund entire new physical facilities would go beyond the remedy needed to abate current harm.
The judgment also considered other social-media companies' responsibility and Meta's market share when setting the amount.
Torrez called the ruling a landmark victory and framed the case as an effort to protect children and families from practices that endanger young people.
Meta plans to appeal, defended its teen-safety record and argued that the claims against the company misrepresent the facts.
Ars Technica noted that Meta's Q2 2026 results listed revenue of $60.8 billion and net income of $15.85 billion.
The judgment still leaves open Meta's appeal path, the final payment timetable, and the specific providers that would administer treatment, screening, awareness and prevention programmes.
