Meta ordered to pay record $567m over child safety

A costly blow for Meta

The ruling, delivered on Thursday, comes on top of $375m already imposed in the same case, taking the total to $942m.

Judge Bryan Biedscheid likened the social media giant to a “public nuisance” on a par with air pollution, comparing Meta to a factory whose advertising and content are the product and “the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children” the pollution “that must be abated”.

The money must be placed in a fund aimed at reducing future harms. It is the first time a US state has successfully sued Meta over child safety, echoing wider debate about the online child protection law and how platforms shield young users.

“We disagree with the ruling and will appeal. We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms… We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”

— a Meta spokesman

The New Mexico case, brought in 2023, found that Meta’s recommendation algorithms “steered” young users towards harmful content and contacts.

The company, which owns Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads, faces thousands of similar lawsuits in the US and lost a comparable case in Los Angeles earlier this year, as the BBC reported.