# Meta's $9.89 billion child safety bill

> Meta's third-quarter earnings reveal the cost of its settlement with US attorneys general over child safety claims.
- Title: Meta's $9.89 billion child safety bill · The Verge | Shortify
- Summary: Meta's third-quarter earnings reveal the cost of its settlement with US attorneys general over child safety claims. Meta paid nine point eighty-nine billion…
- Keywords: meta, child safety settlement, earnings report, us attorneys general, litigation costs, technology, culture, Meta's, billion, child, safety, bill
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/tech/1015877/meta-q3-2026-earnings-child-safety-settlement
- Author: Emma Roth
- Published: 2026-10-21T20:46:56+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: meta, child safety settlement, earnings report, us attorneys general, litigation costs, technology, culture
## Meta's settlement bill comes due
Meta paid nine point eighty-nine billion dollars in its third quarter toward a child safety settlement with US attorneys general, according to its earnings report released Wednesday.
## The original settlement terms
In August, Meta agreed to pay seventeen point one billion dollars to settle a lawsuit claiming the company made its platforms addictive by design and harmed children.
## What the settlement cost operating income
Meta's income from operations would have been twenty-two point eighty-nine billion dollars without the settlement payment. Total costs and expenses reached fifty-one point sixty-one billion dollars including the settlement amount.

> We hit major milestones this quarter toward delivering personal superintelligence for everyone. Our investments are paying off, the core business is strong, and we're seeing velocity across the board.
## More legal costs ahead
Despite the settlement costs, Meta reported sixty-four point sixty billion dollars in revenue, a twenty-six percent increase year-on-year.A New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay twenty-five billion dollars over the Cambridge Analytica scandal on Wednesday.
## Key takeaway

Meta paid nine point eighty-nine billion dollars in its third quarter toward a child safety settlement with US attorneys general, reducing reported operating income by nearly ten billion dollars.