Meta ordered to pay $567 million in New Mexico for teen mental health fund
The order adds age checks, account limits and reporting tools after jurors found Meta harmed children and concealed risks on its platforms.
- On Thursday, Chief District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid of the New Mexico First Judicial District Court ordered Meta to pay $567m and implement strict safety measures for teenage users on Facebook and Instagram.
- This ruling follows a two-phase trial brought by New Mexico Attorney General Torrez, where a jury previously fined Meta $375 million for 75,000 violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act.
- To address the youth mental health crisis, the court mandated a 90-hour monthly usage cap for users under 18 and required Meta to hide like counts and prohibit unconnected adults from messaging minors.
- The $567m fund will support treatment, awareness, and prevention services over a five-year period, with $420 million specifically allocated for youth mental health treatment.
- While Judge Biedscheid labeled Meta a "public nuisance" akin to pollution, federal law limits the court's ability to enforce age-verification tools on children under 13.
158 Articles
158 Articles
Meta ordered to pay $567 million to address children's mental health
A court in the US state of New Mexico has ordered social media giant Meta to pay $567 million in damages to address harms caused to young people by its platforms, according to media reports on Thursday.Meta reportedly said it will appeal the ruling,
A court in the US state of New Mexico on Thursday ordered internet company Meta Platforms to pay an additional $567 million (nearly 12 billion crowns) for failing to warn the public about the dangers its platforms pose to children, the BBC reported.
Because of a lack of child protection, a court in the U.S. state of New Mexico has sentenced the company Meta to a penalty of more than half a billion dollars.
Among the measures imposed by the judge also the introduction of specific features, such as the default setting that hides the number of "likes" on the photos of underage users.
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