NEW MEXICO, USA – A New Mexico court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay an additional US$567 million, or about 18 billion baht, over findings that the company failed to adequately warn the public about risks its platforms could pose to children. The latest penalty is described as the largest child-safety-related sanction Meta has faced. It brings the total amount ordered in the case to US$942 million, following a previous US$375 million penalty. Judge Bryan Biedscheid said the impact of Meta’s platforms constituted a public nuisance, comparing the company’s business model to a factory that produces pollution. The court identified psychological harm and the sexual exploitation of children among the risks that needed to be addressed. The case began in 2023, when the state of New Mexico sued Meta, alleging that its platforms exposed children and teenagers to sexual content and created opportunities for contact with sexual predators.
The court previously found that Meta’s content-recommendation algorithms played a role in directing young users toward potentially harmful content and individuals, concluding that the company had violated state consumer-protection laws on multiple occasions. Under the latest order, about US$420 million of the penalty will be used to establish a fund addressing harm already suffered by young users. The fund is expected to support mental and behavioral health services and training for teachers, healthcare professionals and others working to prevent and respond to social-media-related risks affecting children. The court also imposed additional measures aimed at protecting users under 18. These include restrictions on recommending children’s accounts to adults and on adults messaging minors, as well as restrictions involving the sending and receiving of nude images.
Other measures include removing public like counts for minors, limiting notifications during nighttime and school hours, and introducing controls on time spent on Facebook and Instagram.
The order limits combined use of Instagram and Facebook for minors to 90 hours per month, equivalent to an average of about three hours per day. Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. The company said it has continued working to improve safety and protect young people on its platforms. The case comes amid growing scrutiny of social-media companies across the United States. Meta is also facing thousands of similar lawsuits, while regulators and authorities in the United States, United Kingdom and European Union continue to push for stronger protections for children and teenagers online.
