A court in New Mexico has mandated Meta to allocate $567 million towards a fund designed to tackle the mental health issues purportedly linked to its social media platforms’ impact on children. This decision comes on the heels of a March jury verdict which determined that Meta had knowingly contributed to the mental health challenges faced by children and failed to effectively combat child sexual exploitation on its platforms. With this latest court order, the total financial obligation for Meta in this case has now escalated to $942 million.
Out of the awarded sum, $420 million is earmarked specifically for providing mental health treatment services to young individuals in New Mexico. The remainder will be directed towards initiatives such as prevention and awareness campaigns, as well as screening services and other programs over the next five years to mitigate further risks.
Additionally, the court has instructed Meta to enhance child-safety protocols on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram. This includes improving age-verification systems, offering clearer guidance on safety and privacy tools, and implementing measures to identify users potentially younger than 13 years old. Furthermore, Meta is required to collaborate with schools or child-safety organizations to establish a system for reporting accounts suspected of belonging to underage users. The company must also erase any personal data collected from users under the age of 13 and submit biannual progress reports demonstrating compliance with these directives.
However, the court refrained from imposing a universal age verification system solely within New Mexico, citing concerns about fairness and existing federal privacy regulations that protect children. Despite the ruling, Meta has expressed its disagreement and intends to appeal. The company asserts its commitment to user protection and highlights the steps it has already taken to address harmful content and online safety issues.
This case adds to the mounting legal challenges faced by Meta over accusations that its platforms can have detrimental effects on young users. Similar legal proceedings are currently underway in various other states across the United States.