Court orders Instagram and Facebook’s Meta to pay $567M to address kids’ mental health online
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A New Mexico court has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay $567 million to address harm to young people linked to its platforms. The ruling adds to legal pressure on the company over claims that its products were designed in ways that harmed children’s mental health and failed to protect them from sexual exploitation; Meta says it will appeal.
Most of the award, $420 million, is intended for youth treatment services, with the remainder supporting prevention, awareness and screening over five years. It comes on top of $375 million in civil penalties imposed in March, bringing Meta’s liability in the case to $942 million; the court also required further work on age-assurance systems, child-safety reporting and regular public-facing safety information in New Mexico.
- Meta must pay $567 million for youth mental-health and safety measures.
- The ruling raises Meta’s total liability in the case to $942 million.
- Meta plans to appeal the New Mexico court decision.
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Meta is the US technology company that owns Facebook and Instagram, two of the world’s largest social media services. Children and teenagers use the platforms to share photos and messages, watch videos and follow accounts, but their use has prompted wider questions about online safety and wellbeing.
The case centres on claims that features such as recommendations, notifications and design choices could keep young people engaged in ways that harmed their mental health. It also concerns allegations that the company did not do enough to prevent sexual exploitation and other harmful contact involving children.
Meta has faced similar lawsuits and investigations from US states, regulators and families, alongside calls for stronger age checks and clearer safety protections. The dispute matters because it could affect how social media firms design services for under-18s, verify users’ ages and account for harm linked to their platforms.
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The case for
Supporters argue that the order holds Meta accountable for alleged design and safety failures that exposed children to foreseeable mental-health and exploitation risks. They contend that substantial funding for treatment, prevention and screening is justified both to address harm already suffered and to require practical safeguards, such as stronger age assurance and clearer reporting, that could reduce future harm.
The case against
Meta and other critics may argue that the scale and structure of the award overstate the company’s legal responsibility for complex youth mental-health problems with many causes, including family, schools and wider online culture. They may also contend that disputed claims about product design and causation should be tested fully on appeal, and that prescriptive state-level requirements risk being inefficient or inconsistent with broader, evidence-based child-safety regulation.