A New Mexico judge ordered new child safeguards for Meta. Advocates hope other courts follow
Summary
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and to add new safety measures on Facebook and Instagram to protect children’s mental health. The ruling includes limits on how long under-18 users can spend on the platforms and requires warnings and AI chatbot controls. Meta plans to appeal the decision.Key Facts
- The judge compared Meta’s social media platforms to factories that produce harmful effects on children’s mental health.
- Meta was fined $567 million in addition to a previous $375 million penalty for harming children and hiding sexual exploitation risks.
- New safety steps include a 90-hour monthly limit for users under 18, AI chatbot restrictions, and mandatory warnings on Meta’s platforms.
- The new rules currently apply only to users in New Mexico, and Meta has no set deadline to implement them.
- The court ordered Meta to improve age verification methods but federal law limits how much personal data can be collected from children under 13.
- Meta said it works to keep users safe and disagrees with claims that it failed to protect teens.
- Identifying users in New Mexico could be done through users’ internet addresses, but this method is not perfect.
- Advocates hope this ruling will influence courts and regulators in other places to enforce stronger protections for kids online.
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