Meta fund $567 million to address youth mental health harms

A New Mexico court ordered (PDF) Meta to create a $567 million fund to address youth mental health harms and child sexual exploitation when it found that its platforms posed a public danger.

“In sum, the Court finds that New Mexico is in the midst of an adolescent mental health crisis that is impacting public health and public safety within and across the state, and that Meta’s platforms are a significant contributing factor to the crisis,” Chief Justice Bryan Biedscheid wrote in the decision.

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The ruling follows the second phase of the case, State of New Mexico v. Meta Platforms Inc., which involved a jury trial. The central question was whether Meta’s platforms posed a public danger in New Mexico and, if the court found that some remedy was needed, what remedy it could address them. In March, a Santa Fe court found Meta liable for violations of the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act, awarding it $375 million in civil penalties. The $567 million fund will be added to the civil penalties, according to today’s ruling.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez sued Meta in December 2023, alleging that the company made false public statements about the security of its platforms while knowing that its products facilitated the sexual exploitation of children.

The court rejected Meta's defense under Article 230 in May 2024.

In today's ruling, the court held that the company is violating the First Amendment.

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