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Meta hit with $567M
A New Mexico state court ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund and change how its platforms function for young users after Judge Bryan Biedscheid found the company created a public nuisance in New Mexico.
“Judge Bryan Biedscheid in Santa Fe ruled the company had created a public nuisance in New Mexico”
The ruling came five months after a New Mexico jury in an earlier phase ordered Meta to pay $375 million, bringing the total penalty to $942 million.
In the second phase of the case, prosecutors sought youth-safety measures including monthly limits on teens' use of Facebook and Instagram, restrictions on notifications, tighter controls on adult contact with minors, safeguards for AI chatbots, and enhanced review of child sexual abuse reports under a decree that will be in place for five years.
The court’s remedy also included preventing children in New Mexico from "engaging in romantic or sexualized interactions with Meta's artificial intelligence chatbots" and preventing adults in New Mexico from using chatbots to simulate or discuss a sexualized interaction with a child.
Meta said it will appeal, with the company stating, "We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts."
Torrez calls it a blueprint
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the ruling sends a message that Meta chose profit over child safety, and Reuters quoted him saying, "This is not just a judgment against one company. It is a blueprint."
In a statement carried by the BBC, Meta’s spokesman said, "We disagree with the ruling and will appeal," while also asserting, "We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms."
The BBC reported that Judge Biedscheid compared Meta to a factory and said the advertising and content on its platforms were the product, with "the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children" treated as pollution that must be abated.
The BBC also described the case as the first time a state successfully sued Meta over child safety issues, and it said Meta is currently facing thousands of lawsuits in the US over similar issues.
Bruce Daisley, a former European vice president of Twitter (now X), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the New Mexico fine, while large, was "a drop in the ocean" for Meta.
What changes are ordered
The court ordered Meta to put the $567 million into a fund aimed at reducing future harms, and the BBC said Judge Biedscheid ordered the money into a fund to reduce future harms.
“"the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children"”
Reuters reported that the decree would last for five years and would include monthly limits on teens' use of Facebook and Instagram, restrictions on notifications, and tighter controls on adult contact with minors.
The BBC said the judge ordered Meta to enact other measures, including ensuring that no account of a user under age 18 is recommended to an adult and that no adult can message an underage user.
The BBC also said the judge ordered Meta to eliminate "like" counts for users under 18 and to ban push notifications for such users every day between 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
PBS reported that the bulk of the money—$420 million—would be used for treatment services for young people, while the rest would go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years.
