Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million for Failing to Protect Children on Social Media
Chief District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid has ordered Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay $567 million into a New Mexico abatement fund. This decision follows a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Raúl Torrez in 2023, which accused Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, of failing to protect children from abuse, online solicitation, and human trafficking. A Santa Fe jury found Meta guilty of 75,000 violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act, resulting in $375 million in civil penalties. The court also identified Meta's platforms as a significant contributing factor to the teen mental health crisis in New Mexico. Although the judge did not mandate age verification across all accounts, he ordered Meta to improve its age assurance models using AI tools, particularly for accounts suspected to belong to children under 13.