Meta Ordered to Fund Youth Mental Health | Albuquerque News

A New Mexico judge just handed Meta a historic $567 million order to fund youth mental health and safety programs — adding to an earlier $375 million penalty, bringing the total to nearly a billion. The ruling stems from a lawsuit alleging Facebook and Instagram endangered teens through mental health crises and sexual exploitation, challenging social media’s legal immunity. With hundreds of thousands of teens using Instagram monthly and educators reporting constant phone use, the court cited evidence of tens of thousands of potential tech-facilitated abuses. Meta must now fund prevention, treatment, and awareness while implementing strict safeguards for under-18s — including private accounts by default and school-hour notification bans — plus a one-strike policy for adults involved in child exploitation. Meta plans to appeal and may pull services from the state if forced into drastic changes, setting off a major legal and corporate showdown over digital safety for minors. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/2775c8ba8bb3f514