A court in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $567 million after the company failed to inform the public about the risks its platforms pose to children.
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The amount is the largest penalty ever imposed on the company over issues related to the safety of minors.
The latest ruling comes in addition to a $375 million fine imposed earlier in the same case. In total, Meta’s financial liability amounts to $942 million.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid described the company as a “public nuisance,” placing its impact in the same category as air pollution. According to his assessment, the algorithms and material distributed on Meta’s platforms have contributed to psychological harm among children and exposed them to sexual exploitation.
As a result, the judge ordered the establishment of a special fund to support programs aimed at reducing the harm caused.
Of the new fine, $420 million will be allocated to addressing the impact on minors by funding clinical programs and mental health services.
New Mexico authorities filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging that Meta had failed to take the necessary measures to protect children from sexual content and communication with sexual predators.
During the first phase of the trial, it was determined that the company’s algorithmic recommendation systems repeatedly directed young users toward dangerous content and contacts.
According to the judge, the consequences of the platforms’ operations are not confined to the virtual world. They also affect everyday life, impacting children, families, schools, health services and law enforcement agencies.
Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, has challenged the ruling and announced that it will appeal. In its statement, the company said it continuously invests in user safety, has been transparent about the difficulties involved in identifying harmful content and remains confident in the measures it has taken to protect teenagers.
This is the first case in which a US state has prevailed in such a lawsuit against Meta over child safety. Meanwhile, the company is facing thousands of similar lawsuits in the United States and, earlier this year, also lost another case in Los Angeles based on similar allegations.
