By Ghana News 
A United States court in New Mexico has dealt a massive financial blow to tech giant Meta. The court ordered the parent company of Facebook and Instagram to pay over $567 million for exposing children to online predators and addictive features.
This major ruling follows an earlier decision where a jury found the company guilty of misleading parents and creating a public nuisance. State prosecutors proved that Meta algorithms deliberately recommended adult accounts to teenage users while ignoring internal safety warnings.
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez hailed the judgment as a huge victory for parents everywhere. He stated that big tech companies must no longer profit from practices that put young people in dangerous situations without facing serious consequences.
The judgment requires Meta to pay the massive fine over a five year period. About three quarters of the total money will directly fund mental health treatment programs for affected youth, while the remaining balance goes into online safety awareness and prevention campaigns.
In addition to the fine, the judge imposed strict new operational rules on Facebook and Instagram. Meta must actively keep children under age 13 off its platforms and restrict daily usage for users under 18 to about three hours per day.
The court also ordered Meta to hide like counts and limit addictive design features like endless scrolling and constant push notifications. The judge noted that these features trick young minds into spending unhealthy amounts of time online.
Meta has strongly rejected the court ruling and officially announced plans to appeal the decision. The company maintains that it works hard to keep platforms safe and continues to build transparency around content moderation.
This landmark case adds to thousands of ongoing lawsuits filed against social media platforms across the United States. With over 30 states suing Meta over similar claims, this ruling sets a strong global standard for holding big tech accountable.
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