New Mexico Court Orders Meta to Pay $567M for Child Mental Health Harm A New Mexico court has mandated Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to pay $567 million into a fund designed to address the adverse mental health impacts of its platforms on children. This ruling marks the second phase of a landmark trial that previously found the company liable for enabling harm to users, with the first phase concluding in March when a jury imposed a $375 million fine. The new order brings Meta’s total financial responsibility to $942 million, reflecting the court’s determination that the company’s actions have caused significant harm to young users. Judge Bryan Biedscheid emphasized that the majority of the funds—$420 million—will be allocated to treatment services for children in New Mexico, while the remaining amount will support awareness campaigns, screening programs, and other preventive measures over the next five years. The court’s decision underscores the severity of the harm attributed to Meta’s platforms, which were found to have facilitated child sexual exploitation and contributed to mental health crises among minors. The March trial, which marked the first time a social media company was held liable for harms on its platform, followed a 2023 Guardian investigation revealing how Facebook and Instagram had become marketplaces for child sex trafficking. Former Meta moderators testified that they had flagged harmful content related to child grooming, but these cases were not escalated. The second phase of the trial, which began in May, focused on imposing structural changes at Meta to mitigate risks, including reining in addictive features, improving age verification, and preventing child sexual exploitation through enhanced privacy settings and oversight.#meta #new_mexico #raul_torrez #judge_bryan_biedscheid #new_mexico_attorney_general
