New Mexico Seeks Sweeping Platform Changes to Meta in Youth Harm Trial After $375M Verdict

A second-phase bench trial opened on May 4 in New Mexico's landmark case against Meta, where prosecutors seek court-ordered changes to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp following a March jury verdict ordering Meta to pay $375 million ($5,000 each for 75,000 violations of the Unfair Practices Act). The state is seeking algorithm redesign, effective age verification, ending autoplay and infinite scroll for minors, a $3.7 billion teen mental health fund, and a 90-hour/month cap on children's platform time. Meta has vowed to appeal and threatened to pull services from New Mexico if compelled. This was the first trial verdict against a major U.S. tech company for endangering children.