Meta Fined $567m in Landmark US Child Safety Ruling

A US judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567m for failing to warn the public about the dangers its social media platforms posed to children, in what is now the largest child safety fine against the company.

The Ruling

Judge Bryan Biedscheid declared Meta a public nuisance comparable to air pollution and said the money must go into a fund to reduce future harms. Thursday's ruling adds to the $375m already ordered in the same case, bringing the combined total to $942m. The judge compared Meta to a factory, with advertising and content as its product and the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children as the pollution to be addressed.

Meta's Response

A Meta spokesperson said: We disagree with the ruling and will appeal. The company added it works hard to keep people safe and has been transparent about the challenges of removing harmful content.

Wider Context

This is the first time a US state has successfully sued Meta over child safety. The company faces thousands of similar lawsuits across the country. Earlier in 2026, Meta also lost a landmark case in Los Angeles that found it liable for building addictive platforms. Former Twitter European vice president Bruce Daisley called the New Mexico fine a drop in the ocean for Meta, which reported $61bn in revenue for Q2 2026, up 28% year on year.