New Mexico opened the second phase of its case against Meta in Santa Fe on Monday, asking Judge Bryan Biedscheid to order changes to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp after a $375 million public nuisance verdict in a child safety case earlier in 2026. [1]
The state wants Meta to require age verification for New Mexico users, bar end-to-end encryption for users under 18, limit their use to 90 hours a month and cap features that can keep children scrolling, including infinite scroll and autoplay. It also wants Meta to detect 99% of new child sexual abuse material, or CSAM. [1]
Raúl Torrez, the New Mexico attorney general, said the verdict alone would not force the company to change. “From the outset, our goal was to try and change the way the company’s doing business,” Torrez said. “I recognize that even at $375 million for a company this big and this profitable, it’s not enough in and of itself to change the way they’re doing business. In fact, there’s probably some folks in that company who think of it as the cost of doing business.” [1]
The attorney general’s office plans to call about 15 witnesses during the three-week hearing, including experts on whether the remedies can be carried out and fact witnesses on the harm it says Meta caused. Biedscheid will decide which remedies are relevant and feasible. [1]
Any order would apply only to Meta’s operations in New Mexico, though the state said the company could choose to adopt the changes elsewhere or shut down services in the state instead. The hearing is set to run for three weeks. [1]
