Court orders Meta and Instagram to pay $567M to address kids' mental health
Summary
A New Mexico court has ordered Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook, to pay $567 million to help address mental health harms to young people caused by its platforms. The court also required Meta to make changes to improve age verification, reduce harmful content, and increase awareness of its safety features.Key Facts
- The court ordered Meta to pay $567 million, with $420 million for treatment services for young people.
- The rest of the money will fund awareness, prevention, screening, and other related costs over five years.
- In an earlier trial phase, Meta was fined $375 million for knowingly harming children's mental health and hiding abuse on its platforms.
- Meta must add banners and info screens explaining protection tools and best practices to Facebook and Instagram.
- Federal laws prevent requiring personal data from children under 13 for age verification (COPPA law).
- Meta will use artificial intelligence to estimate ages and develop tools to identify users under 13 within two years.
- The company must work with schools or child safety groups to allow reporting of suspected under-13 users and delete their personal data.
- Meta must report every six months on its progress following the court’s orders and plans to appeal the ruling.
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