New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567m over child mental health harms
A state court has directed Meta to fund redress for alleged damage linked to Facebook and Instagram, following an earlier jury finding against the company.
A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund intended to address mental health harms linked to its platforms, according to the ruling issued on Thursday. The case concerns claims that Facebook and Instagram contributed to damage affecting children and teenagers.
The payment follows the second stage of a landmark trial that Meta lost in March. In that earlier phase, a jury found the company had knowingly harmed children’s mental health and had hidden information about child sexual exploitation on its services, before imposing a separate $375 million penalty.
The latest order adds to the financial consequences facing the company in the case. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has not publicly resolved the broader allegations described in the trial record.
The proceedings are part of a wider legal and regulatory focus on the effects of social media on young users, with the New Mexico case among the most closely watched in the United States.
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