Meta says it would’ve made over $22 billion if it didn’t have to pay a child safety settlement

<figure> <img alt="Photo illustration of a gavel about to hit the Meta logo." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/STKS487_ANTITRUST_2__STK043_META.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Meta had to shell out $9.89 billion to pay for a chunk of the child safety settlement it reached with US attorneys general. That's according to the company's third-quarter earnings report <a href="https://investor.atmeta.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2026/Meta-Reports-Third-Quarter-2026-Results/default.aspx">released on Wednesday</a>, which says Meta's income from operations would have been $22.89 billion without the settlement.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In August, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/985032/meta-state-ag-kids-online-safety-settlement">Meta agreed to pay $17.1 billion</a> to settle a massive nationwide lawsuit that claimed the company harmed children by making its social media platforms "addictive" by design. It will also only pay $5.3 billion of this amount if YouTube and TikTok implement stricter settings and safeguards for kids, which Meta also agreed to as par …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1015877/meta-q3-2026-earnings-child-safety-settlement">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>