By Diana Novak Jones
May 2 (Reuters) - A trial beginning in New Mexico on Monday could prompt a judge to order sweeping changes to how Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp operate - a move Meta Platforms has warned could force it to withdraw from the state.
The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe, stems from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accusing the social media giant of designing its products to addict young users and failing to protect children
from sexual exploitation on its platforms.
At the heart of the trial is whether Meta’s platforms have created a “public nuisance” under New Mexico law. That finding would allow the judge to order wide‑ranging remedies aimed at curbing alleged harms to young users. The case is being closely watched as states, municipalities and school districts across the country pursue similar claims seeking to force changes at the industry level.
Monday's trial marks the second phase of New Mexico's lawsuit. A jury in March found Meta violated the state’s consumer protection law by misrepresenting the safety of Facebook and Instagram for young users. It ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages.
Criticism of children's safety on social media has been mounting for years. On Wednesday, Meta warned investors that legal and regulatory blowback in the European Union and the U.S. "could significantly impact our business and financial results."
SWEEPING REMEDIES AT STAKE
Torrez’s office is expected to seek both billions of dollars more in damages and an order requiring Meta to make substantial changes to its platforms for New Mexico users, according to court filings.
Meta has said it has already addressed many of the state's concerns and taken extensive measures to ensure its young users are safe. The company said in court filings last week that many of the changes Torrez’s office is seeking are impossible for it to comply with and may force it to withdraw from the state entirely.
“The New Mexico Attorney General’s focus on a single platform is a misguided strategy that ignores the hundreds of other apps teens use daily,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement ahead of the trial. “Rather than providing comprehensive protections, the state's proposed mandates infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression for all New Mexicans.”
A ‘PUBLIC NUISANCE’
The trial before Judge Bryan Biedscheid will examine whether Meta's conduct meets the standard for a public nuisance under New Mexico law, which would allow the court to impose remedies aimed at abating the alleged harm.
A public nuisance claim targets activities that unreasonably interfere with the health and safety of a community. Classic examples include blocking a public road, polluting a waterway or emitting noxious fumes. State governments have invoked public nuisance law in recent decades to pursue a broader range of industries, including litigation tied to tobacco, opioids, climate change, and vaping, said Adam Zimmerman, a professor at USC’s Gould School of Law.
New Mexico's case is among a growing number of lawsuits accusing Meta and other social media companies of intentionally designing products to be addictive to young people. While many cases have been filed by families over specific injuries to individuals, more than 40 other states and over 1,300 school districts have filed lawsuits seeking court-ordered changes and damages under public nuisance law.
New Mexico said it plans to ask the judge to order Meta to make changes including verifying users' ages; redesigning its algorithm to promote quality content for minors; and ending autoplay and infinite scrolling for minors.
“It will be an opportunity for us to explore more deeply the size and scale and effectively the monetary value of the public nuisance harm that was a product of this business's behavior for the last, you know, 10 or 15 years,” Torrez told reporters at a press conference on Thursday ahead of the trial.
The company has said in court filings that it cannot have created a public nuisance because it has not interfered with a public right. It also said there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that social media has caused mental health problems, and that many of the state’s requests are “technologically impractical or completely impossible.”
In a public nuisance case, the state can also seek money damages to abate the harm. That sum could be substantial when the impact is said to have affected large segments of the population. Torrez’s office has not detailed the amount it will seek.
Meta said in court filings New Mexico plans to ask for $3.7 billion in damages to fund a 15-year mental health plan including new healthcare facilities and hiring providers, a request it said would require it pay for mental health care for all teens in the state regardless of the cause of their needs.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and David Gregorio)
