Meta ordered to pay $567 million in New Mexico for youth protection

A New Mexico court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to pay $567 million to finance a fund aimed at addressing the harmful effects on the mental health of young people caused by its platforms. This decision was rendered on Thursday, as part of the second phase of a historic trial that Meta lost last March.

During this trial, a jury determined that Meta had knowingly harmed the mental health of children. The current decision comes amid growing concerns about the need to protect minors from the potential dangers of social media.

The $567 million will be used to finance mental health and prevention programs for young people over five years. This amount comes on top of a previous civil fine of $375 million imposed on Meta in March in the same case.

The judge also imposed unprecedented measures, including a limit of 90 hours per month of combined use of Facebook and Instagram for minors, marking a first in the United States regarding social media regulation aimed at protecting youth.

This decision highlights the changing expectations of regulation and societal concerns regarding the practices of technology companies in relation to user health, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents.

This case illustrates the growing tensions between the innovation of digital technologies and the need to protect young people from potential psychological harm caused by their use.