Meta ordered to pay half a billion dollars for harming children

A judge in US has fined Facebook and Instagram owner Meta for creating a “public nuisance” and harming children.

In March, a jury found the company liable for endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators on its platforms.

Meta say they disagree with the ruling and will appeal.

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” Meta told AFP in a statement on Thursday.

New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez sued Meta alleging the company failed to protect children from online dangers.

The court heard that Meta’s algorithms had directed adults toward content posted by teenagers and violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading consumers about the safety of its products for children.

“This case has always been about protecting children, standing up for families, and making sure that one of the world’s largest technology companies cannot profit from practices that endanger young people without consequence,” Torrez said in a statement Thursday.

“Today’s decision is a victory for every parent who has worried about what social media is doing to their child and every child who deserves to grow up safer online.”

Around three-quarters of the new $567 million (€491.25 million) of the fine should be used for mental health treatment, to be paid over five years.

The remaining amount is allocated across programs for “awareness and prevention,” “screening and assessment,” “referral, linkage, and coordination,” implementation and evaluation.

Following the ruling, Meta said the company remains “confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”