Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million in New Mexico Child Safety Ruling
18 sources across 14 countries · 2 of them are linked to a state
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- BBC News
- Reuters
- Le Monde
- France 24
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- The Daily Star
- Folha de S.Paulo
- El Tiempo
- South China Morning Post
- Tempo English
- The Jerusalem Post
- The Japan Times
- Aftenposten
- Al Jazeera
- The Straits Times
- Daily Maverick
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms caused to children on its platforms. This ruling follows a March jury verdict that ordered the company to pay $375 million, bringing the total liability in the state to $942 million. Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled that Meta created a public nuisance, comparing the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children to pollution from a factory. Meta has stated that it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal.
Approximately $420 million of the new fund will be dedicated to mental health treatment for young people. The remaining funds will be used for prevention, screening, and awareness programs over a five year period. The judge also ordered Meta to implement several safety measures for users under 18 in New Mexico. These include a monthly usage limit of 90 hours for Facebook and Instagram, restrictions on notifications during school hours and late at night, and the hiding of like counts. Additionally, the court ordered tighter controls on adult contact with minors, safeguards for AI chatbots to prevent romantic or sexualized interactions, and improved handling of child sexual abuse reports.
While the judge imposed these restrictions, he denied some requests from the state. He declined to mandate strict age verification for new users, citing federal privacy laws and the potential to unfairly disadvantage Meta compared to competitors. He also declined to ban infinite scrolling or algorithmic recommendations, noting these features may be protected by the First Amendment and telecommunications laws.
This case is part of a broader wave of litigation across the United States. More than 30 states and over 1,300 school districts have filed similar lawsuits against social media companies. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez described the decision as a victory for parents and a blueprint for other jurisdictions confronting the mental health crisis among youth.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the systemic failure of Meta to protect children and the historical significance of the victory for families.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the legal specifics of the public nuisance ruling and the financial breakdown of the fund.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the company's intent to appeal and the legal constraints that prevented the judge from ordering stricter age verification.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Must pay 5 billion for harm to children in social media
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567m over harm to youths
- Centre BBC News: Meta fined $567m in largest child safety ruling against social media giant
- Centre-left Daily Maverick: Meta ordered to pay $567 million in New Mexico for teen mental health fund
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Meta: US court sentences corporation to 567 million US dollar fine for endangering children
- Centre-right El Tiempo: A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay 942 million dollars for damages caused to children on its platforms
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Meta is condemned in USA to pay US$ 567 million to adolescent mental health fund
- Centre France 24: Social media giant Meta ordered to pay $567 million in New Mexico child safety ruling
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Mental Health: Meta Sentenced to Millions in Fines Due to Lack of Protection for Children
- Centre-left Le Monde: Meta ordered to pay an additional 567 million dollars to New Mexico for the protection of minors on Facebook and Instagram
- Centre Reuters: Meta ordered to pay $567 million in New Mexico for teen mental health fund - Reuters
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Meta ordered in US to pay US$567 million to address child safety harms
- Centre-left Tempo English: US: Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million Over Harm to Children
- Centre The Daily Star: Meta ordered to pay US state $567 mn to abate 'public nuisance' and child harm
- Centre-left The Guardian: New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567m over harms to children’s mental health
- Centre The Japan Times: Meta ordered to pay U.S. state $567 million over ‘public nuisance’ and child harm
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Meta ordered to change youth protections in $567 million court ruling
- Centre-right The Straits Times: Meta ordered to pay US state $727m to abate ‘public nuisance’ and child harm
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.