New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $942 million for failing to protect children; $420 million goes to treatment services. Meta says it will appeal.
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Meta must pay a total of $942 million to address harm caused to children on its platforms, a New Mexico judge ruled Thursday.
A jury in March found Meta liable for failing to protect kids and approved a $375 million fine. State Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued a ruling Thursday ordering the company to pay an additional $567 million and to make changes to its platforms to make them safer for children. The money will go into an abatement fund, with $420 million earmarked for treatment services.
“This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world's largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence,” New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said in a statement. “Today's decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online.”
Meta said it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal. “We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” a Meta spokesperson said. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”
The company did not specify the grounds for its appeal.
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