An absolutely staggering decision by a New Mexico state judge that resulted in a $567 million penalty levied against social media titan Meta should “take notice,” implores the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry.
The judge’s ruling Friday was intended to compensate young people of all ages for their “mental health and safety harms” they sustained from utilizing Mark Zuckerberg’s social networks (Facebook and Instagram).
By the end of Friday’s hearing in the Santa Fe courtroom of Judge Bryan Biedscheid, the two largest social media apps would owe in total the more than $942 million after receiving another $375 million from a state jury earlier this year to compensate the state for “systemic harms.”
“For years we’ve argued that big tech’s harm to children was a choice, not some inevitable side effect,” said Prince Harry, in his statement following the Friday decision.
“This is not an accident. It is not a glitch,” added the duke, who like Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is fiercely protective of children and the safety of all people online. “What we’ve seen in the last 24 hours is what accountability looks like,” said the prince.
“This is what happens when the law finally catches up to decisions made in boardrooms, product meetings and algorithm reviews – decisions that put social media engagement over safety.”
Now, after the Wednesday judgment: “The bar has been moved, and every platform still choosing engagement over safety should take notice.
Change can’t wait another day.”
How the $567 Million in “Abatements” Will Be Used The state’s “abatement fund” intended to remedy “systemic harm” would run for 5 years and all funds are being directed to efforts that aim to fix issues for 11 million New Mexico youth and teenagers and other groups under 18.
Here is where the funds would go, according to court documents: $420 million — To fund mental health treatment programs for affected minors and adolescents $90 million –To provide psychological screenings and risk assessments $33 million –
To pay for public awareness and harm reduction efforts $24 million – To fund referral networks, program evaluation and administration of the statewide remedy Strict new operational guidelines For decades, tech giants with their pervasive and widespread products “unleash” addictive design features, according to the opinion in the public nuisance lawsuit against Meta.
They don’t offer sufficient protections to children with their products nor sufficiently shield underage youths from risky interactions on the platforms. Biedscheid on Wednesday ordered the apps owned by the tech giant – Facebook and Instagram – to also make extensive operational changes in New Mexico: – They must stop sending children any push notifications for the apps in New Mexico after 10:00 p.m. And until 7:00 a.m. –
They will also implement 90-hour a month limits on use for 16 and 17-year-olds. – All communications must default to stricter restrictions against adult engagement with minors. – The platforms must also limit AI chatbots’ flirtation and other sexual or romantic interactions with kids under 18. – The platforms must also detect and eliminate any profile data unlawfully obtained about any children under 13.
Meta will appeal, promises transparency “We disagree with the ruling and will appeal,” Meta said, in a statement in response to the Friday ruling.
“We have built industry-leading tools and resources to help keep people safe on our platforms, and we have been the first to develop new technologies to help identify and remove bad actors and harmful content,” it continued. “We have always worked to make Instagram a more positive and safer place for families.
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We are proud of the work we have done to protect kids on our platforms and remain committed to doing more.” As other state attorney general and many other city, town or county government entities look to replicate New Mexico’s landmark class action suit, those legal strategies employed against Zuckerberg and his company may be the foundation for tech regulation in America going forward.