New Mexico court orders Meta to pay $567 mn over harm to children’s mental well-being

At a time when Meta is facing intense scrutiny from India over content on its platform, including presence of child sexual abuse material in Instagram, a New Mexico state court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million for harming the mental well-being of children through its social media platforms.

Judge Bryan Biedscheid of the Santa Fe District Court found that the social media giant had created a public nuisance in New Mexico by designing features that encouraged excessive use among young users and by failing to adequately protect children from online sexual exploitation, foreign news agencies reported.