Key witness in Meta trial says settlement terms are not enough to stop harm to teenagers

A main witness in a big court case against Meta thinks a large money agreement is not enough to stop the company from harming young people online. Arturo Béjar, who used to work for Facebook, said the rules in the agreement are like saying people can smoke many cigarettes but it doesn't make smoking safe.

Many US states sued Meta because they said the company made products that people get addicted to. These products caused mental health problems for young people, like eating problems, feeling sad, and even suicide. The states and Meta have now reached an agreement. Meta must make big changes to its apps, like Instagram and Facebook. They will put strict limits on how much time teens can spend on these apps.

Béjar’s evidence was important in the government’s case. He said Meta’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, lied about trying to keep children safe. Béjar also said Zuckerberg ignored warnings about bad content on the apps.

Meta disagrees with Béjar. They say the settlement is more than just time limits. It includes making sure teens see content that is not chosen by an algorithm. It also gives parents more control. Béjar believes the agreement does not have enough checks and does not really make the apps safer for young people. He thinks the way the apps are designed to be addictive and harmful has not changed.