Meta has been ordered by a court in New Mexico to contribute $567 million to a fund designed to mitigate the mental health impacts allegedly caused to children by the company’s social media platforms. This decision follows a jury verdict from March, which concluded that Meta had knowingly contributed to the deterioration of children’s mental health and did not adequately address the issue of child sexual exploitation on its platforms. With this latest development, Meta’s financial liability in this case has now risen to a total of $942 million.
Of the newly mandated $567 million, $420 million is designated for mental health treatment services specifically targeting young people within New Mexico. The remaining funds are allocated for prevention and awareness programs, screening services, and other initiatives that will be implemented over the next five years. Additionally, the court has instructed Meta to enhance child-safety measures on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. This includes improving systems to verify users’ ages, providing clearer information about safety and privacy tools, and developing methods to identify users who might be under the age of 13.
In compliance with the court’s orders, Meta is also required to collaborate with schools or child-safety organizations to establish a system for reporting accounts that are suspected to belong to children under 13 years old. Furthermore, the company must delete any personal information collected from users below this age threshold and submit progress reports biannually on its adherence to the court’s directives. However, the court refrained from imposing universal age verification exclusively for New Mexico, due to concerns about fairness and existing federal privacy protections for children.
Meta has expressed its disagreement with the ruling and announced plans to appeal. The company maintains that it is committed to protecting its users and has already implemented measures to address harmful content and concerns related to online safety. This case adds to the mounting legal challenges Meta is facing regarding allegations that its platforms may have detrimental effects on young users. Similar legal actions are underway in other states across the United States.