A New Mexico judge on Thursday ordered Meta to fund a $567 million fund to compensate minors for harm caused by Facebook and Instagram, a first in the United States for a social network. The ruling also includes unprecedented restrictions on the use of the platforms by those under 18.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued his ruling on August 6: Meta must contribute $567 million over five years to a remediation fund to finance mental health and prevention programs for young people. The judge found the group's platforms responsible for "disturbing public order," an unprecedented charge against a social network in the United States.
This sum comes on top of the $375 million in civil penalties already awarded in March by a Santa Fe jury, which found that Meta had failed to protect its underage users. Of the $567 million, nearly three-quarters, or $420 million, is earmarked for adolescent mental health care; the remainder funds screening, prevention, and program coordination. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez had sought $953 million; Meta maintained that it owed nothing, or at most $27 million.
“We disagree with this decision and will appeal,” a spokesperson for the group told AFP, adding that they were “confident” in Meta’s record “in protecting teenagers online.” Raul Torrez, for his part, hailed it as “a historic victory for the people of New Mexico and for families across the country.”
The judge attached to his ruling a series of measures applicable for five years to the accounts of minors residing in that state, although these measures are suspended pending the appeal process if Meta posts bail. WhatsApp is not affected by these restrictions. Among the most significant is a 90-hour monthly limit on combined Facebook and Instagram use for those under 18. Certain notifications will be muted between 22 p.m. and 7 a.m., as well as during school hours, and "like" counters will be hidden by default.
The magistrate has banned all "romantic or sexualized" interactions between minors in the state and Meta's artificial intelligence chatbots, and prohibited adults from using these assistants to simulate such exchanges with underage characters. No adult may contact a minor via message if they are not in their contacts. Reports of sexual exploitation must be reviewed by a human within 48 hours, and accounts suspected of belonging to individuals under 13 will be deleted within 30 days if age verification is not provided.
The judge, however, rejected several measures requested by the prosecutor. Strict age verification for registration was dismissed on the grounds that a federal law protecting children's data made it legally impossible and that such a requirement imposed solely on Meta would drive minors to its competitors. The ban on infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, and algorithmic recommendations was also rejected: the judge ruled that these features could be protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution regarding freedom of speech, as well as by a U.S. telecommunications law exempting platforms from liability for user-generated content.
Meta is appealing all the rulings against it, but other trials await it this year. A trial pitting the company against four states—California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey—is scheduled to begin on August 12 in Oakland. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for the effects of a teenage girl's addiction to their platforms.
Community
Comments
Write a comment
Be the first to comment on this article.