Prince Harry has called for urgent action after a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund and change how its platforms operate for younger users.
The Santa Fe court ruled on Thursday that Meta had created a public nuisance in the state and was responsible for harming children’s wellbeing, siding with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez.
Torrez had accused the technology company of deliberately designing its products to keep young people engaged while failing to protect children from sexual exploitation across its platforms.
The decision follows an earlier phase of the case five months ago, when a New Mexico jury ordered Meta to pay $375 million. The jury found that the company had violated consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the safety of Facebook and Instagram for young users.
Reacting to the latest ruling, Harry warned other technology companies to take notice.
“The bar has moved, and every platform still choosing engagement over safety should take notice,” the Duke of Sussex said. “Change cannot wait another day.”
In a separate statement to People, Harry argued that the harm caused to children by major technology platforms was the result of deliberate business decisions.
“For years we’ve argued that big tech’s harm to children was a choice, not some inevitable side effect,” he said. “This is not an accident. It is not a glitch.”
Harry added that the ruling demonstrated what meaningful accountability could look like when the legal system challenges decisions made by powerful technology companies.
“What we’ve seen in the last 24 hours is what accountability looks like,” he continued. “This is what happens when the law finally catches up to decisions made in boardrooms, product meetings, and algorithm reviews, decisions that put social media engagement ahead of safety.”
