A former Meta engineering executive who has repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of Facebook and Instagram on young users resumed testimony Wednesday in a closely watched federal trial that could force major changes to the platforms.
Arturo Bejar, who worked at Meta between 2009 and 2015 and later returned as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021, is the first witness in a case brought by a coalition of states accusing the company of putting growth ahead of children’s safety.
The states allege that Meta deliberately designed its platforms to keep young users engaged, failed to adequately warn the public about potential risks and improperly collected personal information from children under 13.
Meta has rejected the allegations and maintains that it has taken substantial steps to protect teenagers using its services. The company has also challenged the relevance of Bejar’s testimony, arguing that his views extend beyond the responsibilities he held while working for Meta.
The trial began in federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday and is expected to continue for roughly six weeks.
Concerns Raised From Inside Meta
Bejar worked on surveys examining teenagers’ experiences on Instagram between 2019 and 2021 as part of a team focused on user well-being. During his testimony, he described concerns he said he had raised with senior company executives about the platform’s effect on young people.
One of his central criticisms was the way Meta assessed harmful experiences.
According to Bejar, the company’s internal monitoring concentrated heavily on how frequently content violating its policies appeared rather than measuring the extent of harm experienced by users.
He also pointed to an email he sent to Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, in which he highlighted what he described as a significant difference between the level of harmful content reported by the company and the experiences reported directly by users.
Bejar told the court that young people were experiencing harm at unusually high rates and suggested parents would have wanted to know the extent of those experiences.
Wider Legal Challenge
The Oakland case combines allegations from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey that Meta’s products were engineered to draw children and teenagers into prolonged use, contributing to problems including anxiety, depression and suicide.
The broader proceedings also involve claims from 29 states that Meta unlawfully collected and used children’s personal information while they were using its platforms.
The case is being closely watched because it represents one of the most significant courtroom examinations yet of the relationship between social media platforms and harm to young users.
Meta is also facing thousands of other lawsuits making similar allegations. Bejar has already appeared as a witness in three cases that have reached trial.
In one New Mexico case, Meta was ordered to pay $942 million in damages and penalties and make changes to its platforms within the state.
Bejar has publicly criticized Meta’s approach to child safety for years. He also appeared before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023, where he said the company knew about harassment and other problems affecting teenagers but did not do enough to address them.
Meta’s Challenge to Bejar Fails
Before the Oakland trial, Meta sought to prevent Bejar from testifying. The company argued that he had failed to preserve potentially relevant evidence after deleting communications with former Meta employees exchanged through Signal.
Meta also pointed to statements Bejar had made during a separate Tennessee case that remains ongoing.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Meta’s attempt to keep him off the witness stand, describing the effort as an unlikely attempt to remove a central witness from the proceedings.
Bejar’s continued testimony now puts his account of Meta’s internal handling of youth safety issues at the heart of a trial that could have consequences far beyond the courtroom.
