A former Meta engineer who once raised concerns about the impact of Instagram on teenagers is back on the witness stand at a federal court in Oakland, California, as 29 U.S. states press a landmark case accusing the social media giant of putting children and teenagers at risk.
Arturo Bejar, who worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and later returned as an independent contractor between 2019 and 2021, is the first witness in this trial.
During his second stint, he helped conduct surveys examining teenagers’ experiences on Instagram and raised concerns with company executives about the platform’s effect on young users.
He told the court that Meta’s internal monitoring did not adequately measure the harm experienced by young people because it focused mainly on how often content violated company policies rather than the impact such content had on users.
Bejar also read an email he sent to Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, in which he highlighted what he described as a significant gap between the level of harmful content reported by the company and the harm users said they experienced.
“Young people were experiencing harm at extraordinarily high rates,” Bejar told jurors, adding that parents would have wanted to know about the extent of those problems.
The trial involves claims by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram in ways that encouraged young users to spend excessive amounts of time on the platforms, while allegedly contributing to anxiety, depression and other harms.
The wider case also includes claims from 29 states that Meta improperly collected and used personal information belonging to children under 13.
In an earlier report by Tech Regard, Meta rejected the allegations and maintained that it has taken steps to protect teenagers on its platforms.
See also: Meta Fights Back as 29 US States Accuse It of Hooking Children
The company has also argued that some of Bejar’s opinions fall outside the scope of his work at Meta.
The company unsuccessfully sought to prevent Bejar from testifying, arguing that he had deleted communications with former Meta employees on Signal and failed to preserve evidence.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Meta’s request, allowing Bejar to remain a key witness for the states.
Bejar has previously testified against Meta in other cases and appeared before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023, where he accused the company of knowing about harassment and other problems affecting teenagers on its platforms without doing enough to address them.
The six-week trial is being closely watched as one of the biggest legal challenges yet involving allegations that social media platforms harm young users.
Meta is also faced with several other lawsuits across the US. In New Mexico, the company was hit with about $942 million in penalties and damages over allegations that it failed to protect children from harm. A California jury separately awarded $6 million to a young woman who accused Meta and YouTube of designing addictive platforms, while Tennessee and hundreds of school districts have also pursued cases alleging harm to children and teenagers
The states are seeking to hold Meta accountable for its alleged practices and could force changes to how Facebook and Instagram operate if they prevail.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
