.
A court in the U.S. state of New Mexico has ordered Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay $567 million into a child protection fund and implement a series of safety reforms after finding that the company’s platforms contributed to harm experienced by young users. The ruling marks one of the most significant legal setbacks yet for the social media giant over child safety concerns.
The latest order follows an earlier jury decision that imposed $375 million in civil penalties, bringing Meta’s total financial liability in the case to $942 million. The lawsuit was brought by the New Mexico Attorney General, who accused the company of failing to adequately protect children from harmful content and online exploitation.
Court Mandates Sweeping Safety Reforms
In addition to the financial penalty, the court directed Meta to introduce several changes aimed at strengthening protections for minors using Facebook and Instagram.
The measures include enhanced age-verification processes, greater use of artificial intelligence to identify underage users, stronger safeguards against contact from online predators and the removal of accounts belonging to children below the minimum permitted age.
The company must also submit periodic reports outlining its progress in complying with the court’s directives.
Funding to Support Child Mental Health
Under the ruling, $420 million of the newly ordered payment will be allocated to programmes providing mental health treatment and support services for children and teenagers.
The remaining funds will finance prevention initiatives, public education campaigns and other efforts designed to reduce the risks associated with young people’s use of social media platforms.
Meta Plans to Appeal Decision
Meta has rejected the court’s conclusions and confirmed that it intends to appeal the judgment.
The company maintains that it has invested heavily in online safety technologies and parental supervision tools, arguing that it continues to introduce features designed to protect younger users across its platforms.
Meta also said it disagrees with the court’s assessment of its practices and believes its ongoing safety initiatives have not been adequately recognised.
Landmark Case Adds to Global Pressure
Legal experts say the New Mexico ruling represents one of the most consequential court decisions involving a major technology company and child online safety.
The case forms part of a broader wave of legal and regulatory action against large social media platforms in the United States and other jurisdictions, where authorities are increasingly examining the impact of digital services on children’s mental health, online safety and privacy.
The decision could influence similar cases currently being pursued against technology companies and may encourage regulators elsewhere to adopt stricter child protection standards.
Growing Debate Over Platform Responsibility
The ruling has renewed debate over how much responsibility technology companies should bear for protecting younger users from harmful content and online risks.
Advocates for stronger regulation argue that social media platforms must do more to create safer digital environments, while technology companies have called for broader collaboration involving parents, educators, lawmakers and platform operators.
As governments around the world continue to tighten oversight of digital platforms, child safety is expected to remain one of the most closely watched issues shaping the future regulation of social media.
For Meta, the New Mexico decision represents another major legal challenge as the company seeks to balance platform growth with increasing demands for stronger user protections and regulatory compliance.
