A US judge in New Mexico on Thursday ordered Meta to pay another $567m (£421m) for its failure to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, marking the largest ruling against the company over child safety.
Judge Bryan Biedscheid said the social media giant is a “public nuisance” akin to air pollution and that it must put the money in a fund aimed at reducing future harms.
The ruling is in addition to $375m in fines Meta was already ordered to pay in the case.
Judge Biedscheid compared Meta to a factory, with advertising and content as its product and “the psychological harm and sexual exploitation of children to be the pollution that must be abated”.
Meta, which owns and operates Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Threads, has been contacted by the BBC for comment.
Regarding the earlier $375m verdict against in the case, Meta had said it intended to appeal the ruling.
