Meta fined $567m in largest child safety ruling against social media giant
A US judge in New Mexico on Thursday ordered Meta to pay another $567m (£421m) for its failure to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, marking the largest ruling against the company over child safety.
On Thursday, a US judge in New Mexico handed down a substantial fine of $567 million for Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Threads. This is the largest ruling to date against the company concerning child safety. Judge Bryan Biedscheid deemed the corporation a "public nuisance," likening it to air pollution, and ordered the establishment of a fund to mitigate future harm.
This additional fine brings Meta's total penalty in the ongoing case to $567 million, following a previous $375 million ruling. The judge compared Meta's operations to those of a factory, with advertising and content serving as its products, while the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children were described as the "pollution" that must be addressed.
As of now, Meta has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment. Previously, the company expressed intent to appeal the $375 million verdict.
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