Prince Harry talks about 'change and accountability' after major court ruling

Prince Harry has talked about ‘change’ after a New Mexico state court ordered Meta, opens new tab on Thursday to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund and change how its platforms function for young users after finding the company is to blame for harming children's wellbeing.

The court in Santa Fe ruled the company had created a public nuisance in New Mexico, siding with the Attorney General.

Torrez had accused the social media company of designing products to addict young users and failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms.

The ruling comes five months after a New Mexico jury in an earlier phase of the case ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding it violated consumer protection law by misrepresenting the safety of Facebook and Instagram for young users.

A day after the court ruling, Prince Harry issued a statement which reads, “The bar has moved, and every platform still choosing engagement over safety should take notice. Change cannot wait another day.”

Harry, who also targeted Elon Musk recently, told People in a statement: “For years we’ve argued that big tech’s harm to children was a choice, not some inevitable side effect. This is not an accident. It is not a glitch.”

“What we’ve seen in the last 24 hours is what accountability looks like. 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.”