21:26 - 7.08.2026

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August 7, Fineko/abc.az. A court in the US state of New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay $567 million for failing to protect children's mental health on Instagram and Facebook and for designing addictive platform features. A portion of the funds will be directed to a youth mental health fund. Combined with a prior $375 million fine levied in March, Meta’s total financial liability in the case has reached $942 million.

The court ruling also mandates strict operational changes over the next five years. Meta must prevent adult accounts from receiving recommendations for minor users' profiles, block adults from messaging minors, integrate AI-driven age verification systems, and enforce daily usage limits for young users.

While Meta announced plans to appeal the decision, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez hailed the ruling as a landmark decision forcing the social media giant to prioritize child safety over profits.