A New Mexico court has mandated that Meta pay $567 million into a fund dedicated to tackling the alleged mental health issues caused to children by its social media platforms. This decision follows a jury verdict in March that concluded Meta had knowingly contributed to the mental health harm of children and had inadequately addressed child sexual exploitation on its platforms. This latest financial obligation brings Meta’s total liability in the case to $942 million.
From the $567 million ordered, $420 million is earmarked to support mental health treatment services for young people in New Mexico. The remainder is allocated for prevention and awareness initiatives, screening services, and other related measures to be implemented over the next five years. Additionally, the court has instructed Meta to enhance child-safety protocols on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. These improvements must include better age-assurance systems, clearer safety and privacy information, and new strategies to identify users potentially under the age of 13.
Further requirements from the court include a directive for Meta to collaborate with schools or child-safety organizations to establish a system for reporting accounts that may belong to children under 13. Meta is also tasked with deleting personal data collected from users below this age threshold and providing biannual progress reports on its adherence to these mandates.
While the court stopped short of enforcing universal age verification solely in New Mexico, citing concerns about fairness and existing federal privacy laws for children, Meta has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal. The company asserts that it is committed to protecting its users and has already taken steps to mitigate harmful content and enhance online safety.
This case adds to the mounting legal challenges Meta faces over accusations that its platforms potentially harm young users. Similar lawsuits are proceeding in other states across the United States.