New Mexico judge orders Meta to pay $567 mln into youth harm abatement fund

Published Aug 7, 12:19 AM UTC

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million into an abatement fund after a jury found the company willfully violated the state's unfair practices act, contributing to a mental health crisis among youth. The fund, on top of $375 million in civil penalties, includes $420 million for treatment of harmed individuals and the remainder for prevention and screening. The ruling is part of a broader public nuisance case where the state seeks to force Meta to overhaul its apps with age-verification and algorithm changes. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has indicated potential penalties up to $62.85 billion. Meta is required to improve age assurance tools using AI and develop a prediction model for users under 13 within two years.