Meta ordered to pay US state $727m to abate ‘public nuisance’ and child harm

• A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay over $727 million for creating a public nuisance and harming children on its platforms.
• The funds will mainly support mental health treatment and other programmes for awareness, prevention, and evaluation over five years.
• Meta plans to appeal, stating it works to keep users safe and disputes the ruling and claims made against it.

SAN FRANCISCO – A New Mexico judge on Aug 6 ordered Meta to pay US$567 million (S$727 million) over the state’s claims that the social media giant had created a “public nuisance” and harmed children.

Meta was previously ordered to pay US$375 million in damages to New Mexico in March when a jury found the company liable for endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators on its platforms, among other harms.

“We disagree with the ruling and will appeal,” Meta told AFP in a statement on Aug 6.

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” the tech giant added.

New Mexico Attorney-General Raul Torrez sued Meta – which makes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – in 2023, alleging the company had failed to protect children from online dangers.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Linda Singer told jurors that Meta’s algorithms had directed adults toward content posted by teenage users while the company concealed internal findings about the risks to young people.

In March, the jury found Meta violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading consumers about the safety of its products for children.

In a statement on Aug 6, Torrez said: “This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world’s largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence.

“Today’s decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online.”

Around three-quarters of the new US$567 million fund should be used for mental health treatment, and it’s to be paid over five years.

The remaining amount is allocated across programmes for “awareness and prevention,” “screening and assessment,” “referral, linkage, and coordination,” implementation and evaluation.

Following the ruling, Meta said the company remains “confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts”. AFP