Meta's $18 billion settlement leaves out the child protections New Mexico already won at trial, its Attorney General says
Fortune 5 ● 4 sources
Meta’s $18 billion settlement with 51 other states was criticized by New Mexico’s attorney general as leaving out child-protection terms New Mexico already won in court, including restrictions on romantic or sexualized interactions between AI chatbots and minors. The New Mexico jury found 75,000 violations and ordered $375 million in civil penalties in March, with a later August ruling adding $567 million for a total near $942 million. The deal therefore covers fewer specific protections than New Mexico’s verdicts, and the dispute pushes advocates and officials to press Congress—especially on KOSA—for national rules while worrying about privacy trade-offs from stronger age checks.