A fine fine
- Last updated: August 29, 2026 | 08:38
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and a phone displaying the download page for the Facebook app. File/ Agence France-Presse
The news that Meta will pay a fine of $US24 billion dollars has been seen as a significant step in recognising the effects of social media platforms but is it enough?
To me $24 billion is an amount beyond comprehension but to these companies is it just a line item in their budgets?
Generally a crime involving childhood addiction would result in significant jail time rather than just money.
A more consequential outcome could be a simple one, turning the site off for an hour each time something inappropriate happens and isn’t remedied within a reasonable, but short time. Maybe the site would rarely be live but there would be less children damaged.
Change the algorithm and let young minds go free.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Australia