A former Meta engineering executive who has become one of the company’s most prominent critics is back on the witness stand as a landmark federal trial examines allegations that Facebook and Instagram have harmed young users.
Arturo Bejar, who worked at Facebook from 2009 to 2015 and later returned as an independent contractor between 2019 and 2021, is the first witness in the closely watched case being heard in federal court in Oakland, California.
The trial involves allegations brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey that Meta deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to keep young users engaged while failing to adequately address risks including anxiety, depression and other harms. A wider coalition of 29 states has also accused the company of unlawfully collecting and using personal information belonging to children under 13.
Meta has denied the allegations and maintains that it has taken steps to improve protections for teenagers.
Bejar’s testimony centers on his work studying young users’ experiences on Instagram. During his return to Meta, he helped oversee surveys examining teen well-being and said he raised concerns with senior company executives about the platform’s impact on children and teenagers.
He told the court that Meta’s approach to measuring harm was inadequate because its internal monitoring largely concentrated on whether content breached company rules rather than measuring the extent of harm experienced by users.
Bejar also pointed to an email he sent to Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, in which he raised concerns about a significant difference between the level of harmful experiences reported internally and the figures being presented by the company.
“Young people were experiencing harm at extraordinarily high rates,” Bejar said, arguing that parents would have wanted to know the extent of those problems.
A Crucial Witness for the States
The Oakland proceedings are being closely watched because they represent one of the most significant legal examinations yet of allegations surrounding social media’s impact on children.
Meta is already facing thousands of lawsuits involving claims of harm to young users. Bejar has emerged as a central witness in several cases that have reached trial, including litigation brought by New Mexico that ended with a $942 million award in damages and penalties, along with an order requiring Meta to make changes to its platforms in the state.
His criticism of Meta’s handling of child safety has also extended beyond the courtroom. In 2023, Bejar told a U.S. Senate committee that the company knew about harassment and other problems affecting teenagers on its services but failed to adequately respond.
Meta previously attempted to prevent Bejar from testifying in the Oakland case. The company argued that he had failed to preserve potentially relevant evidence after deleting Signal messages exchanged with former Meta employees.
That argument was rejected by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the trial. The judge declined Meta’s effort to remove Bejar from the witness list, allowing the states to proceed with testimony from a former insider whose criticism of the company’s safety practices has made him a pivotal figure in the broader litigation.
The Oakland trial is expected to continue for roughly six weeks.
