新墨西哥州法官布莱恩·比德沙伊德近日裁定Meta公司支付5.67亿美元罚款，加上此前第一阶段的3.75亿美元判罚，总计达9.42亿美元[1]。法官在裁决中以污染工厂为比喻，描述该社交媒体平台对儿童心理健康造成的伤害[2]。新墨西哥州检察长拉乌尔·托雷斯表示，Meta"未表现出任何接受责任或承认自身在修复和解决其造成伤害中的作用"[1]。
根据裁决，Meta被命令采取多项儿童保护措施[1][2]。这些措施包括限制18岁以下用户每月在平台的使用时长为90小时、限制AI聊天机器人与未成年人的互动、改进对儿童性虐待举报的审查流程，以及实施强制性平台警告[1][2]。法官还要求Meta改进年龄验证、隐藏点赞数和限制成年人与未成年人接触等功能[2]。罚款中的4.2亿美元将用于青少年治疗服务，其余资金用于提升意识、预防筛查等，分五年实施[1]。
这项裁决可能对行业监管产生广泛影响。新墨西哥州检察长希望该判决推动对科技企业进行全面审视和法律改革[1]。目前，已有29个州在联邦法院对Meta提起诉讼，8个州在州法院提起诉讼[1]。Meta表示将对该裁决提出上诉[1][2]。新墨西哥州采用1970年消费者保护法进行诉讼，若按当今标准调整罚款，总额将达30亿美元[1]。
A New Mexico judge has ruled that Meta must pay $567 million in penalties and implement new protective measures for users under 18, building on an earlier $375 million judgment to bring the total to $942 million [1][2]. Judge Brian Bixby ordered the social media platform to restrict users aged 17 and under to 90 hours of monthly usage, limit interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots, and enforce age verification systems [2]. The court also mandated that Meta improve its review of child sexual abuse reports, hide like counts, and restrict contact between adults and minors on its platforms [2].
State Attorney General Raúl Torrez characterized the ruling as a potential catalyst for broader regulatory reform, stating that Meta has "not shown any willingness to either accept responsibility for their conduct or concede they have a role to play in fixing and addressing the harms that they created" [1]. Of the $567 million penalty, $420 million is designated for adolescent mental health treatment services over five years, with the remainder funding awareness and prevention screening programs [1]. The safeguards apply only to New Mexico residents, though experts suggest the decision may establish a precedent for similar litigation in other states [2].
Meta plans to appeal the ruling [1]. The case was brought under a 1970 consumer protection statute; adjusted to current standards, the penalty would reach approximately $3 billion [1]. The enforcement action reflects broader legal pressure on Big Tech, with 29 states pursuing cases against Meta in federal court and 8 additional states filing suits in state courts [1].