Oakland, Calif. – Arturo Bejar, a former engineering director at Meta Platforms, returned to the witness stand Wednesday in a federal trial that could reshape how Instagram and Facebook operate. The case, brought by a coalition of states, accuses the company of designing its platforms to hook young users, misleading the public about safety, and illegally gathering personal data from children under the age of 13.

Bejar, who worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and later as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021, is the first witness in the six‑week trial. He testified that he repeatedly raised concerns about the impact of Instagram on teens, flagging a gap between the company’s internal metrics and the actual harm reported by users.

Key points from Bejar’s testimony

• He helped run surveys of teen experiences on Instagram between 2019 and 2021.
• He sent an email to Meta’s chief product officer, Chris Cox, highlighting that “young people were experiencing harm at extraordinarily high rates.”
• He argued that Meta’s internal monitoring focused on policy‑violating content prevalence rather than measuring real‑world harm.

State attorneys from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey contend that Meta’s platforms fuel anxiety, depression and even suicide among minors, and that the company misled consumers about safety. Twenty‑nine states also claim Meta violated federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data from children.

Meta denies the allegations, asserting that it has taken steps to protect teens and that Bejar’s opinions fall outside the scope of his work. The company previously sought to block his testimony, arguing that deleted communications on the Signal app hindered evidence preservation. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected that request, describing the effort as a “long‑shot bid” to silence a key witness.

The trial follows other high‑profile lawsuits against Meta, including a New Mexico case that resulted in a $942 million judgment and an order requiring platform changes. Bejar has also testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023, stating that Meta was aware of harassment and other harms affecting teens but failed to act.

Legal analysts say the Oakland case is the most significant test yet of social‑media companies’ responsibility for the well‑being of young users. The outcome could lead to nationwide reforms affecting how platforms design features, collect data, and disclose safety information.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.