A US court has imposed a $942 million fine on Meta for its failure to safeguard minors on its social media platforms. The ruling mandates strict technical safety measures and is considered a landmark decision, according to reports.
Founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Meta must pay an additional $567 million as part of this ruling, issued by Judge Bryan Biedscheid in New Mexico. The judge described Meta as a “public nuisance” and likened the company to a factory, stating that the “psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children constitute pollution that must be addressed.”
This sum adds to previous fines of $375 million tied to the same case, bringing the total to $942 million. This is the largest penalty in the company’s history concerning child safety.
A spokesperson for Meta stated, “We disagree with the ruling and will appeal.” They emphasized the company’s commitment to user safety and expressed confidence in its historical efforts regarding the protection of adolescents online, vowing to counter the claims misrepresenting the facts.
The legal action began in 2023 when New Mexico attorneys accused Meta of exposing children to explicit sexual material and predators. Initial findings revealed that the company’s recommendation algorithms directed young users to harmful content and contacts.
Currently, Meta faces thousands of similar lawsuits in the US, following a loss in a similar case earlier this year in Los Angeles. Another trial is set to begin next week in California.
In Thursday’s ruling, Judge Biedscheid noted that the damage caused by Meta has reached the level of a “public disturbance,” suggesting it has become a widespread public health and safety issue negatively impacting the broader community.
This ruling marks the first instance where a social media company has been classified as a public disturbance.
The judge stated, “Just as harmful pollution from a factory can infringe on the public’s right to clean air, the detrimental effects of Meta’s platforms on children extend beyond these platforms, affecting the internet as a whole, and, more alarmingly, the real world, creating a shared social burden and harm to affected children, their families, and schools as well as hospitals and law enforcement.”
The $567 million fund that Meta has been ordered to establish will be used to mitigate these harms.
Of this amount, $420 million will be allocated to remedy damages through funding clinical or behavioral health programs. The remaining funds will support training and prevention initiatives for teachers and health professionals.
In addition to financial penalties, the judge mandated that Meta implement strict technical measures for users under 18 years of age.
Meta is required to:
- Ensure that no minor accounts are recommended to adults, and no adult can message a minor;
- Prohibit the sending or receiving of nude images by minor users;
- Adopt a “one-strike” policy for adult users engaging in child sexual exploitation;
- Remove the number of “likes” visible to users under 18;
- Ban push notifications for these users daily between 10 PM and 7 AM and during normal school hours from 8 AM to 3 PM, except on weekends;
- Implement a mandatory usage limit for these users of 90 cumulative hours per month on Instagram and Facebook, approximately three hours per day.
