WASHINGTON, DC (August 26, 2026) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) said that the new Meta settlement for $17 billion will hold Meta accountable for protecting children.
“Meta knew it was harming children and chose not to act. Today’s $17 billion settlement with 29 states is one step in Big Tech’s reckoning for the harms it has enabled against children. Meta will now have to enact enhanced child safety measures for Facebook and Instagram – changes that parents and child safety advocates have called on the company for years to make. This settlement is a crucial step to hold Meta accountable for protecting children, and we commend the state attorneys general for carrying these cases forward,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Attention must now turn to Congress to establish a foundation for Big Tech companies like Meta to follow when it comes to protecting children online. The Kids Online Safety Act with its strong Duty of Care would compel Meta and other tech platforms to design their products with children in mind and Congress should pass this quickly,” she said.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was named to NCOSE’s 2026 Dirty Dozen List of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation. Watch NCOSE Ending Sexploitation podcast, “Is This Social Media’s ‘Big Tobacco’ Moment?”
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
