Meta just got handed a $567M bill for making social media a menace
Turns out, making apps that trap kids in a doom-scroll loop isn't free—at least not in New Mexico anymore.
A judge basically told Meta that they can't just treat teenagers like human engagement metrics anymore. After a massive court battle, the company has to cough up over half a billion dollars because their apps were caught serving up harmful content to minors and making it way too easy for predators to slide into DMs.
The court found that Meta's entire business model is essentially built on exploiting developing brains to keep kids glued to screens, leading to a massive spike in anxiety and sleep deprivation. It’s not just a fine; they actually have to change how the platform works for minors, like limiting usage time, hiding like counts, and silencing notifications during school hours.
Paying millions while simultaneously being forced to redesign the product is a massive L for the tech giant. Apparently, you can't just optimize for engagement until everyone is depressed and call it a feature.
Source: New Mexico Department of Justice
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