New Mexico is drafting new laws on child safety on social media
Raúl Torrez, the attorney general of the U.S. state of New Mexico, is working with state lawmakers to draft two bills aimed at strengthening consumer protection and child safety online. They plan to introduce the bills in the coming weeks following the state’s victory in a lawsuit against Meta, according to The Guardian.
In March, a jury concluded that Meta misled users about the safety of its platforms and contributed to harm, particularly related to the sexual exploitation of children. This was the first trial in which Meta was held liable for harmful conduct occurring on its platforms.
In the second phase of the case, the judge ordered the company to pay $567 million. These funds will primarily be directed toward mental health treatment for young people, with the remainder going toward education, prevention, and screening programs. The jury awarded a $375 million fine against Meta, bringing the company’s total liability across both phases of the case to $942 million.
The court also imposed five-year reforms on Meta: age verification for users, enhanced measures against the sexual exploitation of children, nighttime restrictions on push notifications, and mandatory usage time limits for individuals under 18. Meta stated that it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal it.
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Torrez noted that the new regulations should apply not only to social media but also to new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and chatbots. One of the bills aims to remove the cap on fines for violations of consumer protection laws in New Mexico.
The Attorney General’s Office is also pursuing another case against Meta: a lawsuit regarding data privacy and harm to civil liberties is expected to begin in September. In addition, Torrez announced that his office plans to file a lawsuit against an AI company in the near future over a chatbot with which, he said, children can form an emotional bond.
Meta stated that the company has long-standing policies against the exploitation of children and has invested billions of dollars in combating such violations. According to the company, in 2025, Facebook and Instagram removed 36 million pieces of content related to the sexual exploitation of children.
