Meta has been ordered to pay another $567 million after a US judge ruled that harms caused by Facebook and Instagram amounted to a “public nuisance”. The latest ruling takes the total Meta has been ordered to pay in the New Mexico case to $942 million. Meta strongly disagrees with the ruling and has confirmed it will appeal.
While the case is taking place in the United States, at least one UK law firm is now investigating whether children harmed by social media could be entitled to compensation here in the UK.
Why has Meta been ordered to pay $567 million?
The US case focused on allegations that Meta’s platforms exposed children to harmful content and contact with sexual predators.
In an earlier phase of the case, a jury found that Meta had repeatedly breached New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act. The jury found that Meta’s recommendation algorithms — the systems used to decide what content people see — helped steer young users towards harmful content and contacts. Meta was ordered to pay $375 million following that verdict.
The latest ruling goes further. The judge found that the harm associated with Meta’s platforms amounted to a “public nuisance”, leading to a further $567 million award. That brings the total Meta has been ordered to pay in the case to $942 million.
Perhaps the most striking part of the ruling was the judge’s comparison of the harms caused by Meta’s platforms to pollution from a factory. His point was that the impact may extend beyond individual users, affecting families, schools, healthcare services and wider society.
The judge concluded that this was serious and widespread enough to amount to a “public nuisance”. It appears to be the first time a social media company has been found to constitute a public nuisance in this way.
Meta ordered to make major changes
The ruling isn’t only about money. Meta has also been ordered to introduce a series of measures aimed at protecting younger users on Facebook and Instagram in New Mexico.
These include preventing adults from messaging underage users, removing “like” counts for under-18s and introducing restrictions on when young users receive push notifications.
The order also includes a monthly usage limit of 90 hours for under-18s across Instagram and Facebook — equivalent to around three hours a day.
Of the $567 million awarded in the latest ruling, $420 million is intended to fund programmes and professionals providing treatment services for young people affected by social media-related harms. Other funding will go towards awareness, prevention and training.
Meta disputes the findings. The company says it works hard to keep people safe, has invested in protections for teenagers and believes the claims misrepresent its record. It intends to appeal.
What could this mean in the UK?
Questions about social media design and child safety are increasingly being raised on this side of the Atlantic too.
The UK government has announced plans to ban under-16s from major social media platforms, with the changes expected to come into force in spring 2027, alongside proposed protections for older teenagers.
The EU is also examining whether features including infinite scrolling, autoplay and highly personalised feeds create unacceptable risks for users.
Separately, at least one UK law firm is now investigating whether people who were harmed by social media as children could have grounds to seek compensation in the UK.
You can visit our Social Media Safety & Online Harms hub for the latest news on the UK’s under-16 social media ban, platform design and child safety.
Were you or your child harmed by social media?
At Join the Claim, we’re following developments around social media addiction, child safety and potential legal action in the UK. If you or your child experienced problems linked to excessive social media use, you can register your interest in the potential Social Media Addiction Claim.
Join the Claim connects consumers with SRA-regulated lawyers. Visit the claim page to check your eligibility if a claim is open with one of our trusted legal partners. If a group action has not yet been launched, you can register your interest and we’ll keep you informed if a partner firm decides to take a claim forward.
