Meta ordered to pay $942 million for psychological harm to minors in New Mexico lawsuit

A New Mexico court ruling on Thursday, August 6, found that the tech giant failed to adequately protect young users and mandated changes to several platform features. This includes an additional $567 million for damages, adding to the $375 million in civil penalties from a March ruling, bringing the total to $942 million. The lawsuit, brought by the State of New Mexico, accused Meta of designing its platforms to encourage excessive use by young people and not sufficiently protecting them from online risks.

In March, a jury concluded Meta violated local consumer protection laws and harmed children's mental health. The new decision allocates $420 million of the additional sum to fund treatment services for young people, with other amounts dedicated to prevention, screening, and awareness over the next five years. The court also requires Meta to modify Facebook and Instagram mechanisms for minor users in New Mexico, including strengthening age verification, limiting platform use to 90 hours per month for those under 18, deactivating certain notifications during night and school hours, and enhancing restrictions on adult-minor contact and interactions with AI tools.

Meta has rejected these findings, stating it has developed numerous protection tools for adolescents and that the accusations do not accurately reflect its implemented measures. The co