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

SAN FRANCISCO – A New Mexico judge on Aug 6 ordered Meta to pay more than half a billion US dollars 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 (S$481 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