Meta hit with $567M child safety fine

Meta has been ordered to pay $567 million in a child safety ruling, the latest financial penalty against the company over its handling of underage users on its platforms.

Judge likens Meta’s platforms to “factories” of harm

A New Mexico judge ruled that Meta must pay the sum into an abatement fund, describing the company’s social media platforms as factories whose “products”—advertisements and content—generate “pollution” in the form of psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children. Judge Bryan Biedscheid issued the order after the second phase of a trial determined whether Meta’s platforms constituted a “public nuisance” in the state. The fine follows an earlier $375 million civil penalty levied against the company for similar violations. The latest ruling does not call for the shutdown of Facebook or Instagram but instead directs funds toward programs aimed at mitigating existing harm.

Funds will support safety training and healthcare initiatives

The $567 million will be allocated to youth internet safety training for educators, school counselors, psychologists, and healthcare professionals. A portion of the funds will also support community-based healthcare centers.

In addition to the financial penalty, the ruling mandates new safety measures for underage users. Instagram accounts for users under 18 will now default to private settings, a change intended to limit unsolicited contact from strangers and reduce the risk of harassment or exploitation. On Facebook, minors will be restricted to connecting only with other underage users by default, a measure that aims to create a more age-appropriate social environment. Search results will also exclude private accounts belonging to minors, further reducing the visibility of young users to potentially predatory individuals.

Meta had previously pushed back against the state’s demands, calling them “burdensome” and threatening to withdraw its apps from New Mexico in April. The company argued that the proposed measures would impose excessive operational costs and disrupt the user experience for its broader audience.

The effectiveness of these changes remains uncertain. Some countries, like Australia and Canada, have taken more aggressive steps by banning social media access for minors altogether. The long-term impact of the New Mexico ruling will depend on whether the mandated changes are rigorously enforced and whether they are adopted as a model by other jurisdictions. For now, the ruling stands as one of the largest financial penalties imposed on a tech company over child safety issues.