Meta fined $570 million over children’s mental health
A US court has fined Meta, the parent company of Facebook, hundreds of millions of dollars for causing harmful effects on children’s mental health. A court in New Mexico announced the decision during the second phase of a landmark case against Meta.
In March 2026, the social media company suffered a setback in the case. At that time, a jury found that the company had knowingly harmed children’s mental health while concealing details related to child sexual exploitation. Meta was fined $375 million as a result.
Now, in its latest ruling, the court has imposed an additional fine of $567 million on the company, bringing the total penalty to $942 million.
Judge Brian Biedscheid said that $420 million of the fine would be allocated to services providing medical treatment to young people in New Mexico. The remaining amount will be spent over the next five years on awareness campaigns, service screening and other related areas.
During the March hearing, the court found that Meta was responsible for activities taking place on its social media platforms.
The second phase of the trial began in May. Prosecutors asked the court to require fundamental changes within Meta to control features that make its social media platforms addictive, improve age-verification procedures and prevent child sexual exploitation.
The court’s ruling also ordered other changes including the creation of banners and informational screens for Facebook and Instagram that clearly explain their safety features and tools. The ruling also directed Meta to launch an educational campaign in New Mexico.
Meanwhile, a Meta spokesperson said that the company disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to appeal it.
According to the spokesperson, the company is working hard to ensure the safety of people on its platforms by removing harmful content and taking action against bad actors.