Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, XETRA:FB2A, SIX:FB) has been ordered to pay $567 million by a US judge over the harm caused to children on its platforms.
The New Mexico court ruling takes the total the company has been ordered to pay in the case to almost $1 billion.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid found that Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, had created a public nuisance.
Most of the money, $420 million, will be used for treatment services for young people.
The remainder will go towards awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years.
The penalty comes on top of the $375 million in damages Meta was ordered to pay in March, after a jury ruled the company had knowingly harmed children’s mental health. That takes the combined figure to $942 million.
Meta has said it disagrees with both rulings and will appeal. The total represents a small fraction of the roughly $60 billion in annual profit the company made in 2025.
Raul Torrez, the New Mexico attorney general, described the decision as a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child.
Biedscheid also ordered Facebook and Instagram to display information clearly on their platforms about protection features, best practices and tools to address inappropriate comments.
The judge said that while privacy laws prevent Meta from applying age-verification tools to children under 13, the company should continue to improve its age assurance tools.
Those tools include using artificial intelligence to estimate a user’s age.
He said Meta should look to develop a dedicated prediction model for under-13s within the next two years.
Any changes in New Mexico would be subject to review by the state.
Meta is facing lawsuits from thousands of families over similar issues.
Another trial begins in California later this month, where the company will face four of the 29 states suing it in a federal multi-district lawsuit.
That case alleges Meta knowingly designed features that addict children to its platforms.
Earlier this year, Meta and Google were found liable by a court in Los Angeles for a woman’s social media addiction, a ruling both companies plan to appeal.
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