New Mexico: A US court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million in a landmark child safety ruling, adding to an earlier $375 million penalty and bringing the total fines in the case to $942 million. The judge described the company as a "public nuisance" for failing to adequately protect children on its platforms.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the State of New Mexico, which argued that Meta's recommendation algorithms exposed young users to harmful content and contact with sexual predators. Meta has announced that it will appeal the decision.

The court also directed Meta to implement stricter child safety measures, including preventing adults from messaging minors, blocking recommendations of underage users to adults, removing "like" counts for users under 18, and limiting notifications and screen time for young users.

The $567 million fund will be used to support treatment, prevention, and awareness programmes addressing the impact of social media on children. The ruling is considered one of the most significant legal actions against a social media company over child safety.