Meta misled users about safety and a New Mexico judge ordered a fine of $567 million and the jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million!

The NewYorkTimes.com reported that “A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make changes to the way young people can use its platforms, the largest financial penalty yet against the tech giant in its ongoing legal battles over social media harm and addiction.”  The August 6, 2026 article entitled “Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million in New Mexico Child Safety Case” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/technology/meta-new-mexico-child-safety.html) included these comments from Reporter Eli Tan:

The ruling, issued late Thursday, was in addition to $375 million that Meta was ordered to pay in the same case in March, when a jury found that the company misled users about the safety of its platforms and enabled the sexual exploitation of young people.

The $567 million will go toward a fund to remedy damages caused by the company, including money for treatment of young people who have been harmed by social media.

“Although Meta is not alone in this regard, its social media platforms are a significant contributing factor to the current mental health crisis among New Mexico’s youth established by the substantial evidence in this case,” Judge Bryan Biedscheid, of State District Court in Santa Fe, wrote in the ruling.

Andy Stone, a Meta spokesman, said in a statement that the company disagreed with the ruling and planned to appeal.

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” he said. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”

Anyone surprised?