A New Mexico court has mandated that Meta deposit $567 million into a fund designed to tackle mental health issues allegedly caused to children by its social media platforms. This ruling is an extension of a jury decision in March where Meta was found to have knowingly contributed to these mental health challenges and neglected to sufficiently address child sexual exploitation on its platforms. With this latest financial obligation, Meta’s total liability in the case has now reached $942 million.
From the $567 million ordered in the recent ruling, $420 million is set to finance mental health treatment services for young people within New Mexico. The remainder will be allocated to prevention and awareness initiatives, screening services, and other supportive measures over the next five years. Additionally, the court has instructed Meta to bolster child-safety measures on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. This includes enhancing age-assurance systems, providing clearer information about safety and privacy tools, and developing mechanisms to identify users who may be under the age of 13.
Moreover, Meta is required to collaborate with schools or child-safety organizations to establish a system for reporting accounts suspected to belong to children under 13. The company must also erase personal information gathered from these underage users and submit bi-annual progress reports on its compliance with the court’s directives. However, the court refrained from mandating universal age verification solely in New Mexico, citing concerns regarding fairness and existing federal privacy protections for children.
Meta has expressed its disagreement with the ruling, stating its intention to appeal. The company maintains that it is committed to protecting its users and has already implemented measures to address harmful content and online safety concerns. This case adds to the mounting legal challenges faced by Meta over allegations that its platforms may have detrimental effects on young users. Similar lawsuits are currently underway in other states across the U.S.