A United States court has ordered Meta Platforms Inc. to pay a record $942 million after ruling that the technology giant failed to adequately protect children using its social media platforms.
The judgment includes a new $567 million penalty, which adds to an earlier $375 million award in the same case, making it the largest financial sanction ever imposed on Meta over child safety concerns.
Delivering the ruling, Judge Bryan Biedscheid of New Mexico described Meta as a “public nuisance,” arguing that the harmful effects of its platforms on young users extend beyond the internet and negatively impact families, schools and communities.
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, accused Meta of exposing minors to sexually explicit content and online predators through recommendation algorithms that allegedly amplified harmful material.
The court found that the company repeatedly violated New Mexico’s consumer protection laws, leading to the substantial financial penalty.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, rejected the court’s findings and announced plans to appeal the judgment.
The company maintained that it has invested heavily in protecting young users and remains committed to improving online safety for children and teenagers.
In addition to the financial penalty, the court directed Meta to introduce stronger child safety measures across its platforms.
These include blocking adults from sending direct messages to minors, removing public “like” counts for users under the age of 18, limiting late-night notifications, and introducing usage restrictions designed to cap daily time spent by teenagers on Facebook and Instagram at around three hours.
The ruling adds to mounting legal challenges facing Meta, which is already battling thousands of lawsuits across the United States over claims that its platforms contribute to mental health problems and other harms affecting children and teenagers.
It also comes amid growing international pressure on technology companies as governments worldwide move to strengthen regulations aimed at improving child safety on social media platforms.
