UK Lawmakers Urge Tougher Action Against Meta After U.S. Child-Safety Ruling

Meta is facing thousands of lawsuits in the United States over allegations involving child safety, Osmond Chia reported for BBC News.

Meta faces growing legal and political scrutiny over the effects of its social-media platforms on children.

In addition to the New Mexico ruling, Meta earlier this year lost a landmark case in Los Angeles in which the company was found potentially liable for designing platforms that contributed to addictive use.

Bruce Daisley, a former European vice president of Twitter, now X, told BBC Radio 4's Today program that the New Mexico penalty, while substantial, represented only a small amount relative to Meta's overall finances.

In its latest financial results, Meta reported $61 billion in revenue from April through June, a 28% increase from the same period a year earlier.

"But it's an indication that we are moving to a stage where social media is going to be tackled around the world," Daisley said.

Former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips told Today that legal challenges against major technology companies in the United States could give the United Kingdom greater scope to take tougher action without fearing that such measures would damage UK-U.S. diplomatic relations.