Major U.S. social media company ordered to pay nearly $1 billion.

On August 6, the First Judicial District Court of New Mexico ruled that the parent company of social media platforms "Facebook" and "Instagram," Meta Platforms, must pay $567 million to a fund in the state to address mental health issues faced by teenagers as a result of using its products. This ruling stems from a trial that took place earlier this year. During that trial, a New Mexico jury found that Meta was liable for $375 million in fines for allegedly contributing to mental health problems among teenagers and enabling sexual exploitation through its products. The $567 million is a remedial amount added on top of the $375 million fine, bringing the total to $942 million. Additionally, under the new ruling, Meta is required to implement a series of measures for teen safety, including setting monthly time limits on the use of Facebook and Instagram by teenagers, restricting notification push, increasing oversight of interactions between adults and minors, adding safety protections for AI chatbots, and strengthening the review of reports of child sexual abuse. Meta stated that it plans to appeal this ruling and claims that the company has been working to identify and eliminate harmful content on its platform.