Court orders Instagram and Facebook's Meta to pay $567M to address kids' mental health online
- A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms.
- The majority of the funds, $420 million, will be allocated for treatment services for young people.
- This ruling is in addition to a previous $375 million penalty imposed in March for knowingly harming children's mental health.
- Meta plans to appeal the ruling and asserts its commitment to keeping users safe on its platforms.
- The court ordered Meta to improve its age verification tools and develop a prediction model for users under 13.
A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address the harms caused to young people by its platforms. The ruling, made by Judge Bryan Biedscheid, allocates $420 million for treatment services for young people, with the remaining funds directed towards awareness, prevention, and screening services over the next five years.
This penalty is in addition to a previous $375 million civil penalty imposed in March after a jury found that Meta knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed information regarding child sexual exploitation on its platforms. The total amount Meta is now responsible for is $942 million, which is a small fraction of its annual profit of approximately $60 billion in 2025.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez stated that the ruling sends a clear message that companies will be held accountable when their product designs put children at risk. Meta has indicated its intention to appeal the decision, emphasizing its efforts to maintain safety on its platforms and its transparency regarding the challenges involved in removing harmful content.
法院命令Instagram和Facebook母公司Meta支付5.67亿美元以改善儿童心理健康
新墨西哥州法院命令Instagram和Facebook母公司Meta支付5.67亿美元，以应对其平台对年轻人造成的危害。法官布莱恩·比德施海德的裁决中，4.2亿美元将用于年轻人的治疗服务，其余资金将在未来五年内用于意识提升、预防和筛查服务。
这一罚款是对3月份陪审团判处Meta3.75亿美元民事罚款的补充，陪审团认定Meta故意危害儿童心理健康，并隐瞒有关儿童性剥削的信息。Meta目前需承担的总金额为9.42亿美元，这只是其2025年约600亿美元年利润的一小部分。
新墨西哥州检察长劳尔·托雷斯表示，此裁决向公司传达了明确的信息，即当其产品设计使儿童面临风险时，将会被追究责任。Meta已表示计划对该裁决提出上诉，强调其在维护平台安全方面的努力，以及在删除有害内容方面面临的挑战。