Meta hit with half a billion fine for child safety failings

Tech Software & Services Written by: Ian Lyall 08:09 Fri 07 Aug 2026 --> Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ian Lyall Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. Meta Platforms Inc ( NASDAQ:META XETRA:FB2A SIX:FB ) View Price & Profile Meta hit with half a billion fine for child safety failings Published: 08:09 07 Aug 2026 BST Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META, XETRA:FB2A, SIX:FB) has been ordered to pay $567 million by a US judge over the harm caused to children on its platforms. The New Mexico court ruling takes the total the company has been ordered to pay in the case to almost $1 billion. Judge Bryan Biedscheid found that Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, had created a public nuisance. Most of the money, $420 million, will be used for treatment services for young people. The remainder will go towards awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years. The penalty comes on top of the $375 million in damages Meta was ordered to pay in March, after a jury ruled the company had knowingly harmed children's mental health. That takes the combined figure to $942 million. Meta has said it disagrees with both rulings and will appeal. The total represents a small fraction of the roughly $60 billion in annual profit the company made in 2025. Raul Torrez, the New Mexico attorney general, described the decision as a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child. Biedscheid also ordered Facebook and Instagram to display information clearly on their platforms about protection features, best practices and tools to address inappropriate comments. The judge said that while privacy laws prevent Meta from applying age-verification tools to children under 13, the company should continue to improve its age assurance tools. Those tools include using artificial intelligence to estimate a user's age. He said Meta should look to develop a dedicated prediction model for under-13s within the next two years. Any changes in New Mexico would be subject to review by the state. Meta is facing lawsuits from thousands of families over similar issues. Another trial begins in California later this month, where the company will face four of the 29 states suing it in a federal multi-district lawsuit. That case alleges Meta knowingly designed features that addict children to its platforms. Earlier this year, Meta and Google were found liable by a court in Los Angeles for a woman's social media addiction, a ruling both companies plan to appeal. Continue reading