A New Mexico state court judge has ordered Meta to pay $942 million in total penalties after declaring the company’s social media platforms a “public nuisance.” Judge Biedscheid pointed to specific platform features as contributing factors to a mental health crisis among young people in the state. A precedent with teethThe New Mexico case is the first to successfully integrate public nuisance claims against Meta specifically regarding child safety. Public nuisance law has historically been applied to physical harms: toxic waste, noise pollution, unsafe structures. Meta’s appeal will likely center on the Section 230 question and whether a state court can use public nuisance doctrine to regulate platform design.