Meta ordered to pay $567m over harm to children on Facebook, Instagram -

A New Mexico court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay $567 million to address the harm its platforms have caused to young people, marking the second phase of a landmark trial.

Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled on August 6 that $420 million of the amount will fund treatment services for young people. The remaining funds will support awareness and prevention programmes, screening services and other measures over the next five years.

The latest order comes on top of $375 million in civil penalties awarded by a jury in March. The jury found that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed information about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

The combined financial penalties now total $942 million, although that represents only a small portion of Meta’s annual profits, which stood at about $60 billion in 2025.

Prosecutors had also sought major changes to Meta’s platforms, including tighter controls on addictive features, stronger age-verification systems and measures to prevent child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and increased oversight.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez welcomed the ruling, saying it sends a clear message that technology companies can be held responsible when their products knowingly put children at risk.

Meta said it would appeal the decision, while maintaining that it has worked to protect users and remove harmful content.

Under the ruling, Facebook and Instagram must introduce more prominent information screens explaining safety features, privacy tools and ways to address inappropriate content. Meta must also support an educational campaign in New Mexico, subject to state review.

The court directed Meta to continue improving its age-assurance technology in the state, including systems that use artificial intelligence to estimate a user’s age based on signals such as social connections and content activity.

Meta must also work to develop a dedicated model to identify users under 13 within two years. Users estimated to be under 13 will be required to provide proof of age, while those identified as under 18 without a specific age estimate must be treated as minors until their age is verified.

The company must also work with schools or child-safety organisations to establish a reporting portal for potentially underage users and delete personal information collected from children under 13.

Meta will be required to submit compliance reports to the court twice a year. – TS/ERMD