A court in New Mexico has imposed an additional $567 million penalty on Meta for failing to adequately protect children on its social media platforms, raising the company’s total financial liability in the case to $942 million after an earlier $375 million judgment.
Presiding Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled that Meta’s conduct constituted a public nuisance, likening the company to an industrial polluter whose products generate widespread social harm.
He directed that the latest penalty be placed into a dedicated fund to support programmes aimed at addressing the long-term effects of online abuse involving minors.
The court determined that Meta’s recommendation systems played a significant role in directing young users toward inappropriate material and potentially dangerous interactions, exposing them to explicit content and online predators.
The judge concluded that these impacts extend beyond digital platforms, placing pressure on families, schools, healthcare providers and law enforcement agencies.
The fund established under the ruling will primarily finance mental health treatment and behavioural support services for affected children.
Additional resources will be allocated to public education initiatives, including specialised training for teachers, counsellors and healthcare professionals on identifying and responding to social media-related risks.
Beyond the financial sanctions, the court ordered Meta to introduce several child protection measures.
These include preventing adults from contacting or being recommended to users under 18, blocking the exchange of nude images involving minors, permanently removing adults involved in child sexual exploitation after a single violation, hiding “like” counts for teenage users, restricting notifications overnight and during school hours, and introducing a monthly usage cap of 90 hours across Facebook and Instagram for minors.
Meta rejected the ruling and confirmed it will challenge the decision on appeal.
A company spokesperson maintained that the firm has invested heavily in safety systems, continues to remove harmful content and bad actors, and believes the court’s findings do not accurately reflect its efforts to protect young users.
The legal dispute originated from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico in 2023, accusing Meta of violating consumer protection laws by designing platform features that endangered children.
During the first phase of the proceedings, the court found that the company’s algorithms repeatedly breached the state’s Unfair Practices Act by promoting harmful content to minors.
The latest judgment is regarded as the largest financial penalty imposed on Meta over child safety concerns and is believed to be the first instance in which a social media company has been legally classified as a public nuisance.
Meta is also confronting thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States.
Another significant trial is scheduled to begin in California next week, where attorneys general from nearly three dozen states allege the company violated child privacy laws.
The ruling comes amid growing international pressure on technology companies to strengthen protections for children online.
Governments in both Europe and the United Kingdom are advancing stricter regulations, while several countries are considering broader restrictions on children’s access to social media platforms.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong