European Union demands that Meta change the 'addictive design' of Facebook and Instagram A judge in New Mexico, in the southwest of the United States, ordered this Thursday (6) that Meta pay US$567 million (R$2.9 billion) following a lawsuit filed by the state against the company for causing "public disturbance" and harming minors. The parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram had already been ordered, in March, to pay US$375 million (R$1.9 billion) in compensation to New Mexico, after a jury concluded that the company exposed children to predators on its platforms, among other losses. ??Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 "We disagree with the decision and will appeal," Meta said in a statement sent to AFP this Thursday. "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 added. The judge included in his decision a series of unprecedented measures, which will be applied for five years to the accounts of teenagers in New Mexico. The Goal should, for example, limit the total time spent using Facebook and Instagram by people under 18 to 90 hours per month. Concerned parents New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued the company in 2023 for failing to protect minors from the dangers present on the internet. During closing arguments, prosecutor Linda Singer told the jury that Meta's algorithms targeted adults to content posted by teenagers, while the company concealed internal findings about the risks to young people. In March, the jury found that Meta violated the state's Unfair Practices Act by misleading consumers about the safety of its products for minors. "This case has always been about protecting children, defending families and ensuring that one of the largest technology companies in the world cannot profit from practices that put young people at risk without facing consequences," said Raúl Torrez in a statement released this Thursday. Part of the US$567 million (R$2.9 billion) will be allocated to mental health treatments, and payment will be made over five years. The resources will also finance awareness and prevention programs, in addition to other initiatives aimed at protecting users against risks in the digital environment. Exemplary judgments Logos from Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Reddit appear on a cell phone screen, in this illustration made on December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/Illustration/File photo. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against social media companies in the United States for alleged harm to children and mental health. More than 30 states are suing Meta on similar charges, and a trial could begin in August in Oakland, California. In July, an American teenager withdrew his lawsuit against Meta just days before the trial began. The young man also signed confidential agreements with YouTube, TikTok and Snap. The case was considered a model trial that could set a precedent for resolving thousands of similar lawsuits across the country. The first trial into mental health harm attributed to social media concluded in March, when a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and Google to pay $6 million to a 20-year-old woman. In May, Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube entered into confidential agreements with a Kentucky school district.