New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567 million in kids online safety case
The money will be used to create a fund to mitigate social media harms, including by carving out $420 million for treatment for New Mexico youth who have been hurt on the platforms.
A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million in a case regarding social media harms and addiction. This fine brings the company's total bill to $942 million, including a $375 million civil penalty imposed in March. The money will be used to create a fund to mitigate social media harms, with $420 million allocated for treatment services for young people in New Mexico.
The court found that Meta's platforms, specifically Facebook and Instagram, created a public nuisance and significantly contributed to the state's youth mental health crisis. According to TechRadar, the judge compared Meta's apps to "polluting factories". The company has said it will appeal the decision.
Meta will also be required to make changes to its platforms, including limiting users under 18 to 90 hours per month across Facebook and Instagram, pausing push notifications overnight, and only showing Like counts to children under 18 with parental approval. The company has stated that it works hard to keep people safe on its platforms and will appeal the judgment.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Record, TechRadar, TechCrunch, TechSpot, The Verge — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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