Meta Threatens To Shut Down Facebook And Instagram In New Mexico Over Child Safety Trial

Meta has threatened to shut down access to its social media platforms in New Mexico as a child-safety dispute heads into a second phase of trial next week, with the company warning that the state’s requested remedies could force it to “withdraw its apps entirely from the State of New Mexico.”

“In reaction to the decision handed down in the United States by a jury that found Meta and YouTube responsible for the harm their platforms cause to children and young people, Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International's Director General for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, said: “This damning verdict marks a historic turning point in recognizing the harm caused by the giants of digital technology due to the manipulative design of social media platforms”

Amnesty International

In court filings described by multiple outlets, Meta argued that the state’s demands are “so broad and so burdensome” that compliance would be impractical, adding that “it might force Meta to withdraw its apps entirely from the State of New Mexico as an alternative way of complying with the injunction.”

Amnesty International

The threat is tied to a prior jury award of $375 million in civil penalties after jurors found Meta misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and protections for children against sexual predators.

The remedies phase is scheduled to begin on May 4, according to reporting that a state judge will decide what changes Meta must make, with one outlet stating the bench trial begins “on May 4.”

Meta’s position is that it cannot meet certain technical requirements, including a proposed 99% accuracy threshold for verifying that children are at least 13 years old, which Meta called “impossible obligations.”

New Mexico’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez responded that Meta is “showing the world how little it cares about child safety,” and he said, “We know Meta has the ability to make these changes.”

New Mexico’s legal effort seeks sweeping changes to Meta’s platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, aimed at safeguarding children’s mental health and safety.

Prosecutors are asking the court to order changes to child accounts targeting addictive features, improving age verification, and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer supervision, according to reporting that describes the state’s requests.

Associated Press

One outlet says New Mexico wants all child accounts to have an associated parent or guardian and a court-supervised child safety device to monitor improvements over time, while another describes a broader set of design and enforcement demands.

Among the remedies described in detail is a requirement that Meta meet a 99% accuracy threshold in verifying that children on its platform are at least 13 years old, along with safer recommendation algorithms that do not prioritize engagement over child well-being.

Reporting also says the state wants restrictions on end-to-end encryption for minors, prominent warning labels about the platform’s risks, and permanent bans for adults engaging in or facilitating the exploitation of children.

In a separate account of what is at stake on May 4, the state’s proposed measures include prohibiting addictive features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, algorithms that optimize engagement, and notifications during school or sleep hours.

That same reporting says the state would seek a “90-hour monthly cap on platform use by minors in New Mexico,” default hiding of 'likes' and 'shares' counts for users under 18, and default private accounts for all minors.

It also says the state would require each minor to have an account linked to a guardian and effective age verification, with a “Child Safety Monitor, appointed by the court and funded by Meta,” overseeing compliance and publishing periodic reports.

Meta’s filings characterize the state’s remedies as technically impractical and burdensome, and the company argues that the only feasible alternative would be to remove access to its platforms in New Mexico.

“It's a setback for Mark Zuckerberg's company”

BFM

In one description of the court filing, Meta said the state’s requests are “so broad and so burdensome, that if implemented it might force Meta to withdraw its apps entirely from the State of New Mexico as an alternative way of complying with the injunction.”

Meta’s lawyers also argued that “It does not make economic or engineering sense for Meta to build separate apps just for New Mexico residents,” and they added, “Nor could Meta guarantee the perfection the State demands, making it impractical for Meta to operate in New Mexico.”

Another outlet quotes Meta’s position that the 99% requirement would effectively require the company to “shut down its services — for all users in the state — or else comply with impossible obligations.”

Meta also framed the dispute as a targeted effort that ignores other apps teens use, with one report quoting a Meta spokesperson saying the state’s demands “disregard the realities of the internet” and that “In targeting a single platform, the State ignores the hundreds of other apps teens use, leaving parents without the comprehensive support they actually deserve.”

The company’s stance is that it continues to improve child safety measures and address concerns about compulsive social media use, and it has said it plans to appeal the $375 million civil judgment.

In the same reporting, Meta’s threat is described as potentially consequential because a shutdown would disrupt “personal communication on widely used platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp” and affect “their use for commercial advertising.”

Meta’s position is also contrasted with New Mexico’s insistence that compliance is possible, as Torrez said, “We know Meta has the ability to make these changes,” and he accused Meta of refusing to place child safety ahead of profit.

The dispute has produced sharply different public statements from New Mexico officials, Meta, and child-safety advocates, with each side emphasizing different stakes.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said, “Meta is showing the world how little it cares about child safety,” and he argued, “Meta’s refusal to follow the laws that protect our kids tells you everything you need to know about this company and the character of its leaders.”

Boursorama

Torrez also said, “For years the company has rewritten its own rules, redesigned its products, and even bent to the demands of dictators to preserve market access,” and he concluded, “This is not about technological capability.”

Meta, in contrast, described the state’s demands as “technically impractical, impossible for any company to meet and disregard the realities of the internet,” and a Meta spokesperson said, “While it is not in Meta’s interests to do so, if a workable solution to Attorney General Torrez’s demands is not reached, we may have no choice but to remove access to its platforms for users in New Mexico entirely.”

Amnesty International’s Erika Guevara-Rosas framed the case as evidence that platforms are “dangerous by design,” saying, “This damning verdict marks a historic turning point in recognizing the harm caused by the giants of digital technology due to the manipulative design of social media platforms.”

Guevara-Rosas said that “For years, social media companies, including Meta and YouTube, have profited from targeting children and young people with addictive design elements that put user engagement above their well-being,” and she pointed to features such as “infinite scrolling, autoplay, and persistent notifications.”

She also cited testimony from the Los Angeles trial, quoting that K.G.M. testified she started using YouTube at six and Instagram at nine and said she was online “all day long” during her childhood.

In the same Amnesty account, Guevara-Rosas argued, “Rather than relying on rudimentary tools like banning social networks for young adolescents, states should require a fundamental change in how these platforms operate, notably by addressing their addictive design.”

Coverage of the New Mexico case diverges in emphasis, with some outlets foregrounding the potential shutdown threat while others focus on the legal timeline and the specific remedies being sought.

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Fox Business and the New York Post both highlight Meta’s warning that it could withdraw apps entirely, with Fox Business quoting Meta’s argument that the state’s requests are “so broad and so burdensome” and the New York Post quoting the company’s warning that the judge’s order could make it “impractical” to operate in New Mexico.

Cadena 3 Argentina

The Guardian, by contrast, frames the threat as an “unprecedented move in its home country” and describes the remedies phase as a bench trial expected to last three weeks, while also quoting Meta’s filing that “Many of the requests are technologically or practically infeasible.”

The Guardian also details the state’s proposed reforms, including “effective age verification to prevent adults from posing as minors,” “safer recommendation algorithms that do not prioritize engagement over children’s wellbeing,” and “restrictions on end-to-end encryption for minors.”

Telemundo Nuevo México focuses on the procedural posture, reporting that District Judge Bryan Biedscheid rejected Meta’s request to postpone the trial and that “On May 4 we will seek the strictest child-safety protections ever proposed against a social network.”

It also describes the state’s proposed enforcement mechanism, including a court-appointed “Child Safety Monitor” funded by Meta, and says the order would be in effect for at least five years on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Amnesty International’s account connects the New Mexico verdict to design changes, quoting Guevara-Rosas’s argument that “This ruling is clear: these platforms are dangerous by design and real change is urgently needed.”

Across the reporting, the next step is the remedies phase beginning on May 4, where the court will determine what actions Meta must take, and Meta’s threat raises the possibility of Meta blocking access to Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp in New Mexico if it deems the requirements impossible.