TL;DR Meta itself funds the conservative argument that the internet turns kids trans, and stands to gain power and money from this verdict.

This is a very good but lesser known YouTube channel, and I decided to post here and not in a tech-specific forum, because as you will see this is pretty much about trans people as well.

Taylor Lorenz (with Kat Tenbarge) make a coherent argument that the verdict consolidates Meta’s business model and established power, for a minimal fine that is just an operational cost compared to what they stand to make out of it.

Moreover, they point out the verdict relates to:

• Ultra-conservative think-tanks, including The Heritage Foundation, which targets abortion and trans healthcare
• Censorship of abortion, feminism, queer, lgbtq+ and particularly trans topics, by online platforms including Meta
• Social contagion - Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria conspiracy theory - pseudoscience
• Age verification laws, KOSA, and similar approaches which are themselves funded by Meta, directly or indirectly

If you are not aware, recently a Reddit user published data showing that Meta’s money is behind the “protect the children” age verification laws, probably in order to match devices to idenitities. They also bankroll some of the very same conservative outlets promoting censorship and roll-back of rights. As the creators say, Meta “does not profit from free-speech or abortion information”, it profits from targeted advertisement.

A related video by the same creator is this one about the “new moral panic” that is build around this, and many more videos of hers. Deserves way more views.