Meta Stock Is Getting Hit Hard. But Where Will It Be in 3 Years?

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she was “not really keen” on a blanket under-16 social media ban, calling it a “blunt-force approach.” The Dec. 2025 ban blocks access to over 5 million minor accounts and requires platforms (Meta, TikTok, Google, Kick, Snapchat) to withhold access. eSafety data says ~70% of under-16s still access platforms. She is investigating suspected noncompliance; fines can reach A$50m. The Albanese government expanded the rules in March and plans a H

Meta’s Facebook privacy settlement will send cheques to eligible class members, according to The Hill. Payouts began Sept. 3, 2025 and were expected to run to Nov. 12, with Angeion reporting 28 million claims received and 19 million validated. A second distribution approved May 6, 2026 starts June 9, 2026, funded by $100 million from uncashed/expired payments; first cheques averaged $29.43 and second payments may range $4.67–$7.32.

In May, multiple Instagram users reported being locked out after hackers reset passwords using verification codes sent to different emails, according to widely shared screen recordings. The recordings suggested Meta’s AI support assistant chatbot helped attackers. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the issue was resolved and impacted accounts were being secured, but Meta did not confirm details or affected numbers; TechCrunch reported attacks continued after Meta addressed the issue.

A nine-year-old boy with special needs was found in Mirpur, Dhaka, after a pharmacy employee recognized him from a Meta missing-child alert, according to The Daily Star. The first recovery under Meta’s partnership with MUN Alert followed a Facebook/Messenger/Instagram location notification. MUN Alert began as a CID pilot on Jan 13; it has handled 200+ cases but only 29 recoveries, all in Dhaka, citing bureaucratic delays.

Wired reported that researchers found “Faceprint”/“NameTag” code embedded in Meta’s smart glasses AI companion app, added across updates since January. The code reportedly enables biometric face identification and face tracking, storing and comparing faceprints via a background database on a user’s smartphone. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Threat Lab confirmed the feature through static analysis, raising privacy concerns.

U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday despite a strong May jobs report, with Wall Street posting its worst day since October. The S&P 500 dropped 2.6% to 7,383.74, the Dow fell 1.4%, and the Nasdaq slid 4.2%, led by declines in Nvidia (-6.2%), Broadcom (-7.9%), Micron (-13.3%) and Meta (-5.5%). The Labor Department reported 172,000 jobs added in May, pushing Treasury yields higher and raising expectations for Fed rate hikes.