NEW MEXICO: A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay an additional $567 million (about £421 million) for failing to adequately warn the public about the risks its platforms pose to children, marking the largest child-safety ruling against the social media company to date.
In a decision, Judge Bryan Biedscheid described Meta as a “public nuisance”, comparing the company’s impact to air pollution and directing that the money be placed in a fund intended to reduce future harm to children.
The new penalty comes on top of an earlier $375 million fine, bringing Meta’s total liability in the case to $942 million.
The judge likened Meta to a factory whose products are advertising and online content, while the resulting psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children were described as the pollution that must be controlled.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, rejected the ruling and said it would appeal.
A company spokesperson said Meta has invested heavily in safety measures, has been open about the challenges of detecting harmful content and bad actors, and remains confident in its efforts to protect teenagers online.
The earlier $375 million judgment was also appealed by Meta. That ruling was significant because it was the first time a US state had successfully sued the company over child-safety concerns.
Meta is also facing thousands of similar lawsuits across the United States and has already lost another case in Los Angeles involving comparable allegations.
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