Meta to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child harm, exploitation claims
A panel of New Mexican jurors has ordered Meta, the parent company of Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, to pay $375 million after finding the social media giant knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed awareness of child exploitation on its platforms.
A jury released its verdict Tuesday, saying Meta concealed knowledge of child exploitation and misled its millions of users about the harm its platforms presented to children.
The ruling comes down as another jury in California enters its second week of deliberations, tasked with deciding whether the company should face the same fate there.
“We respectfully disagree with the verdict and will appeal,” a Meta spokesperson told Reuters, adding that the company works to keep people safe on its platforms and is “clear about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors or harmful content.”
Prosecutors argued that Meta broke New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, which protects against deceptive practices. Jurors found thousands of separate instances, according to The Associated Press, which led to a total fine of $375 million.
Social media and mental health
Meta is just one of the social media platforms facing thousands of lawsuits across the country alleging they’re knowingly offering a service that’s harmful to people’s mental health.
At the heart of the matter is whether interacting with something like Instagram is addictive.
Some of the lawsuits contend that social media companies knowingly deployed features — such as algorithmic recommendation systems, infinite scroll and social validation metrics — that contributed to a youth mental health crisis.
Experts previously told Straight Arrow News that social media feeds are designed to maintain attention, employing a psychological effect known as “intermittent reinforcement” to repeated checking and prolonged use.
Coupled with highly sophisticated algorithms that tailor a user’s feed to match their interests, numerous studies have shown that some can show the same signs of addiction as they would to gambling.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
