A court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to children's mental health and safety caused by its social media platforms, according to a report by Scripps News. The ruling marks one of the larger financial penalties tied directly to the effects of social media on young users.
Meta operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, all of which have faced sustained scrutiny over their effects on children and teenagers. Instagram in particular has been the subject of internal research, leaked documents, and congressional hearings in recent years. Critics have argued the platform's design encourages compulsive use and exposes minors to harmful content.
The $567 million figure reflects the scale of the legal action and the court's determination that Meta bears financial responsibility for mental health and safety outcomes on its platforms. The court order was reported by Scripps News, which noted the ruling was tied specifically to children's mental health and safety.
Litigation against social media companies over their effects on minors has grown substantially in recent years. Lawsuits have been filed by individual families, groups of states, and school districts across the country. The cases broadly allege that platforms knowingly designed addictive features that harmed young users while doing insufficient work to protect them.
Meta has previously contested many of the central claims in this wave of litigation, arguing that its platforms provide safety tools and that responsibility for children's online activity is shared with parents. The company has also pointed to age verification and content moderation efforts as evidence of its commitment to child safety.
The $567 million order represents a concrete legal outcome in what has been a long-running and multi-front legal battle. The ruling does not necessarily resolve all pending claims against the company related to minors, and additional cases remain in various stages across the court system.
The ruling adds financial pressure to Meta at a time when the company is already navigating regulatory scrutiny in the United States and Europe. Child safety online has become a legislative priority in several states, with laws passed in recent years attempting to restrict minors' access to social media or require platforms to take additional protective steps.
