Meta ordered to pay $567 million in New Mexico case
Meta must fund youth mental health treatment in New Mexico.
A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million to support youth mental health services, marking the final phase of a child safety trial. The social media company was found liable for misleading consumers about platform safety and endangering children. In March, Meta was initially ordered to pay a maximum of $375 million for violations of New Mexico's consumer protection laws.
The latest financial penalty will be used to fund treatment for young people harmed by Meta's platforms and to cover mental health prevention and awareness services. Attorney General Raúl Torrez criticized Meta for prioritizing engagement and profit over the safety of New Mexico's children, stating that the company knew its platforms were harming young users for years.
Meta disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. The company maintains its commitment to safety, emphasizing its transparency and efforts to remove harmful content. In addition to funding, the judge required Meta to implement safety features, such as preventing minors from engaging in romantic or sexual interactions with AI chatbots.
Meta removed policies allowing chatbots to engage children in romantic or sensual conversations. In January, Meta temporarily restricted access to its AI characters for teens while developing an updated experience.
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