A court in the state of New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay more than $567 million following a lawsuit brought by state authorities, who argued that the company's activities had harmed children and created a public nuisance. The company said it disagrees with the court's ruling and intends to appeal.
WHAT THE COURT RULED
According to Euronews, the ruling was handed down by a judge in the state of New Mexico in a case initiated by the state's Attorney General, Raúl Torrez, back in 2023. The lawsuit was filed against Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
In March 2026, a jury had already found the company guilty of violating state law on unfair business practices. At that time, Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in compensation after the court concluded that the company had misled consumers about how safe its platforms were for children.
The new ruling provides for the creation of a fund of $567 million. Around three quarters of these funds will go towards treating mental health disorders, with the remaining sum allocated to awareness, prevention, monitoring, effectiveness assessment and coordination programmes. The funds must be distributed over five years. In addition, Meta has been ordered to submit reports to the court twice a year on the implementation of the prescribed measures.
THE SIDES' POSITIONS
During the trial, prosecution representatives said that Meta's algorithms, in their telling, directed adult users towards content published by teenagers, and that the company concealed internal data about risks to minors.
After the ruling was announced, Meta said it disagreed with the court's findings and intends to appeal them. The company stressed that it continues to work on ensuring user safety and speaks openly about the difficulties of identifying and removing malicious actors and harmful content.
WHAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID
New Mexico's Attorney General, Raúl Torrez, called the court's ruling "a victory for every parent" concerned about the impact of social media on children. In his words, the case is about protecting minors and supporting families.
CONTEXT
The case against Meta has become one of the largest legal proceedings related to child protection issues on social media. In various countries, authorities are also tightening regulation of minors' access to digital platforms.
In July, the French Parliament approved a bill banning individuals under 15 from registering on social media. The ban is due to come into force from 1 September once the prescribed procedures have been completed.
In Kazakhstan, there is not yet a complete ban on social media for minors, but the issue is already at the legislative level. Earlier, the government submitted a bill to Parliament providing for amendments to the Law "On Online Platforms and Online Advertising". After parliamentary reform, the document moved to the Kurultai for consideration.
Under the draft, users under 16 will not be able to register on social media. This applies specifically to the registration of new users. At the same time, it is proposed to exempt instant messaging services, including WhatsApp and Telegram, from the restrictions. The Ministry of Culture and Information explained that such services are necessary for children to communicate with their parents, legal guardians and educational organisations.
At the same time, measures to protect children online are also being tightened. According to the Ministry of Culture and Information, since the start of 2026, access to 6,863 internet resources containing illegal information for children has been restricted. In addition, social media administrators were sent more than 20,000 items of material for the blocking of 869 public pages.
