Meta Agrees to Pay $16B to Settle Claims Over Child Harm
Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion to settle claims from US states that its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, caused harm to children.
In a New Mexico case, Meta was found liable under the state's Unfair Practices Act in March 2026 and ordered to pay $942 million, including an additional $567 million into an abatement fund for treatment services over five years.
The court compared Meta's operations to a polluting factory, emphasizing the societal costs of its business model. The New Mexico ruling also imposed restrictions on usage hours, notification timing, and adult-minor interactions on Meta's platforms.
A separate federal case involving 29 states was launched in mid-August 2026, seeking an estimated $200 billion in damages for alleged violations of consumer protection laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).