&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Public nuisance’: Meta hit with $567 million penalty over child safety in US")
Meta has been ordered to pay another $567 million after a US judge ruled against the company over allegations that its social media platforms exposed children to harmful content and failed to adequately protect young users.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the ruling in New Mexico on Thursday, adding to the legal and regulatory pressure facing Meta over how Facebook and Instagram are designed and how they protect children from harmful content, sexual exploitation and potentially addictive use.
The latest ruling follows a $375 million fine imposed in March in the same case. A jury had found Meta liable for making young users vulnerable to predators on its platforms. Meta has said it will appeal the latest decision.
The ruling also comes as more than 30 US states pursue similar lawsuits against Meta. The cases allege that the company's platforms have harmed children and put their mental health at risk.
Meta ordered to fund mental health programmes
Around three-fourths of the $567 million payment will go towards a mental health treatment fund. Meta will make the payments over five years.
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The remaining amount will fund programmes focused on "awareness and prevention" of potential dangers to young people. It will also support measures to ensure Meta carries out the changes ordered by the court.
The company had already been found guilty in March of violating New Mexico's Unfair Practices Act by misleading consumers about the safety of its products for children.
The court also ordered Meta to limit some features for children on Facebook and Instagram. The ruling said the company had created a "public nuisance" that endangered young users.
It was the first time a US court had found a social media company guilty of creating a "public nuisance" in a case involving alleged harm to children.
Growing legal pressure on social media companies
The ruling comes as several US states continue to pursue cases against major social media companies over alleged harm to children and their mental health.
In July, a US teenager dropped a lawsuit against Meta shortly before the trial was due to begin after reaching confidential settlements with Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap.
A separate trial over social media's impact on mental health ended in March. A Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and Google to pay $6 million to a 20-year-old woman.
In May, Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube also reached confidential settlements with a Kentucky school district.
