A court in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a fund for teen mental well-being. The court also ordered the company to make changes to Facebook and Instagram for underage users in the state. The court found that Meta’s social networks created a public nuisance. It also said the company had not done enough to protect young users. These concerns are separate from Meta AI Model Security Concerns, which focus on the testing and safety of Meta’s AI models.
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million in New Mexico Youth Safety Case
This case was filed against Meta by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2023. The Meta $567 Million Penalty case claims that the company did not take enough steps to protect minors from harm linked to its platforms.
New Safety Rules for Young Users
Meta will now have to impose stronger age verification for its users in New Mexico. Underage users who are below 18 years old are also restricted to 90 hours of usage of the platform monthly. Users will not get push notifications during school hours and after midnight.
Read more: Meta Introduces Facebook Verified Badge for Real People
There are also changes to some features. Parents must allow access to like counts on their children’s posts. Meta is also restricting certain chatbot interactions with minors. Any photos that may contain nudity should be blurred. This order applies only to Meta’s services in New Mexico. For more information about Meta’s latest AI developments, read our coverage of Meta AI Coding Agent.
Court Rejects Some Requested Changes
Further alterations in Meta’s offerings were sought by New Mexico from the court. Nevertheless, all the suggestions presented by the plaintiff were not accepted by the court. Some changes that concerned Meta’s algorithms, infinite scroll, and autoplay videos were rejected. It should be mentioned that the company had claimed that some of the alterations were not technologically feasible. Furthermore, some of the suggested changes would require leaving New Mexico’s market.
This latest judgment follows an earlier verdict in the same case. Back in March, a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million. The company was found liable for violating consumer protection laws related to young users. The latest $567 million judgment brings the total financial penalties linked to the case to $942 million. The case also highlights concerns around Meta’s Facebook and Instagram safety.
Read more: Meta AI Chatbot Reportedly Linked to Instagram Account Access Issues
Meta Plans to Appeal
According to Meta, the company does not agree with the new ruling and will file an appeal. Meta further indicated that it strives to ensure that everyone is safe on their platform while admitting the difficulties it faces in removing any offensive material.
In addition, the New Mexico authorities have argued that the ruling could become a benchmark for other cases involving social media and young people. There are more lawsuits against Meta and other social media companies in the country. News source eTimes Pakistan.
