NORFOLK, Va. — A judge has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million on top of the $375 million in civil penalties awarded in March.
A jury found Meta's platforms enable predators to engage in child sexual exploitation and that those platforms are also intentionally designed to make young users addicted.
A majority of the latest payment will go toward treatment services for young people.
Licensed clinical psychotherapist Dr. Sarah Williams said 20 percent of 17- to 20-year-olds currently have a mental health diagnosis. Williams is urging everyone in the community to work together to help the mental health of young people, saying social media is here to stay.
"The important thing is for parents, community, social media, we all get together and create safe digital environments as well as educating teens about how much is excessive. And when to recognize, is this impacting me? Is it impacting my behavior, my mood? Are there certain restrictions that should be put on my algorithm so that I don't get exposed to certain things?" Williams said.
Meta said it will appeal and remains confident in its ability to protect young users on its platforms.
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