Meta Hit With $567m Fine—The Biggest Child Safety Ruling Yet

Sun Sep 06 2026 11:57:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

New Mexico judge fines Meta $567m for failing to protect kids – the biggest penalty in a child‑safety case.

A U.S. judge in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567 million for failing to warn the public about online harms to children, making it the largest fine in the company’s history for child safety. This new penalty is on top of an earlier $375 million verdict, bringing total fines to over $940 million. The judge dubbed Meta a public nuisance, likening the platform’s harmful content to pollution that must be cleaned up. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads and plans to appeal the ruling while pledging to strengthen child protection measures.

Meta hit with $567m fine

U.S. Judge Bryan Biedscheid in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $567 million ($421 million) because the company failed to warn the public about the dangers its platforms pose to children – making this the largest child‑safety ruling against the social‑media giant.

The penalty is on top of an earlier $375 million fine from the same case. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads. The judge called the company a “public nuisance” and compared it to a factory that produces harmful pollution; the money must be put into a fund to reduce future harms.

Meta plans to appeal the ruling, but it has already said it must work harder to keep kids safer online.