A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay a total of $942 million in a landmark child safety case, marking the largest financial penalty the social media company has faced over harms to children.
The ruling, delivered by Judge Bryan Biedscheid, requires Meta to pay an additional $567 million, on top of the $375 million previously awarded in the same case.
The judge described Meta as a “public nuisance,” comparing the company to a factory whose “pollution” is the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children caused through its platforms.
The lawsuit, filed by the State of New Mexico in 2023, accused Meta of exposing children to sexually explicit material and contact with sexual predators through its recommendation algorithms.
During the first phase of the trial, the court found that the company’s algorithms repeatedly directed young users toward harmful content, violating the state’s Unfair Practices Act.
In the latest ruling, Judge Biedscheid said the effects of Meta’s platforms extend beyond the internet, creating widespread societal harm for children, families, schools, healthcare providers and law enforcement agencies.
As part of the judgment, Meta must establish a fund to reduce the impact of these harms.
About $420 million of the fund will be used to provide behavioural health treatment and support programmes for affected children, while additional funding will support awareness campaigns and training for teachers and healthcare professionals.
The court also ordered Meta to introduce stronger protections for minors across Facebook and Instagram.
These include preventing adults from receiving recommendations for underage users, blocking direct messages from adults to minors, banning the exchange of nude images involving underage users, enforcing a one-strike policy against adults involved in child sexual exploitation, removing public “like” counts for users under 18, restricting push notifications overnight and during school hours, and limiting users under 18 to 90 hours of combined Facebook and Instagram use per month.
Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal. A company spokesperson said Meta remains committed to protecting young users and argued that the judgment misrepresents the company’s efforts to identify and remove harmful content.
The company is facing thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States. Another major child safety trial involving Meta is expected to begin in California next week, where dozens of state attorneys general accuse the company of violating child privacy laws.
