Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

A court in the U.S. state of New Mexico has ordered Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, to pay $567 million in damages over allegations that its platforms negatively affected the mental health of underage users, AzerNEWS reports.

The ruling was issued during the second phase of a major legal case against the technology giant. According to the court’s decision, $420 million of the settlement will be allocated to psychological support programs for children and teenagers. The remaining funds will go toward public awareness campaigns, prevention initiatives, risk assessment services, and other child protection measures over the next five years.

The decision follows an earlier stage of the trial, in which a jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million after concluding that the company was aware of potential risks associated with its platforms but failed to take sufficient action to protect young users. The case also focused on allegations that minors were exposed to risks, including online exploitation.

As part of the ruling, Meta will also be required to introduce additional safety measures for teenagers using Facebook and Instagram. These measures include limiting excessive screen time, improving notification controls, strengthening protection against unwanted contact from adults, and increasing oversight of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots used by minors.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez previously accused Meta of designing features that encourage addictive behavior among young users and failing to adequately prevent harmful interactions on its platforms.

Meta has rejected the allegations and announced that it plans to appeal the decision. The company stated that it continues to invest in improving online safety, removing harmful content, and developing new tools to protect younger users.

The case is part of a broader global debate over the responsibility of social media companies for the impact of their platforms on children. In recent years, governments and regulators in several countries have increased pressure on major technology firms, demanding stronger safeguards for minors in the digital environment.