Meta ordered to pay $942 million over child safety concerns

A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay a total of $942 million in penalties and restitution, classifying Facebook and Instagram as a ‘public nuisance’. The total sum includes $375 million in civil penalties from a previous March ruling and an additional $567 million relief fund.

The relief fund is intended to finance measures addressing harm to young users over the next five years. Of this, $420 million is earmarked for treatment and support services, such as therapy, while remaining funds will support education, prevention, and screening efforts. The ruling follows jury findings that Meta knowingly harmed children's mental health and concealed information regarding the sexual exploitation of minors on its platforms.

In addition to financial penalties, the court mandated several operational changes to protect minors, including: - Limiting youth usage to a maximum of 90 hours per month. - Blocking push notifications during nighttime hours. - Hiding ‘likes’ and setting profiles to private by default. - Implementing improved age-verification processes using AI-supported signals, such as friend networks and content consumption patterns.

Meta is also required to develop a specialized model within two years to identify users under the age of 13. The court noted that under COPPA, Meta is prohibited from requesting personal data from children under 13 for age verification purposes, necessitating more advanced, non-intrusive detection methods.