Meta Teen Safety Settlement Draws Criticism From Whistleblower
Synopsis
Meta’s settlement with US states over teen safety includes up to $18 billion in payments and new restrictions, but whistleblower Arturo Bejar says it falls short of addressing the platform’s deeper risks.
Meta Platforms’ settlement with a coalition of US states over teen safety has come under criticism from former Meta safety engineer Arturo Bejar, whose testimony helped build the case against the social media giant.
Bejar told a judge and eight jurors that Meta had knowingly underreported how frequently teenagers were harmed on its platforms, promoted content that could worsen users’ self-image and failed to properly handle reports of child predation.
The states announced a settlement with Meta on Wednesday, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta saying the agreement would make social media safer for children.
Bejar, however, said the proposed measures fail to meaningfully address the issues he was asked to testify about.
“This agreement could simply codify much of the ‘safety theater’ that Meta has been doing in recent years,” Bejar said, arguing that Instagram may be used less but would not necessarily become safer.
Meta Settlement Includes $18 Billion Payment
Under the agreement, Meta could pay states up to $18 billion over the next decade, alongside measures restricting how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram.
The remedies include stronger parental controls, daily time limits and efforts to identify minors who misrepresent their ages. Meta will also hide likes and reaction counts on posts for young users, aiming to reduce negative social comparison.
However, leaked internal documents indicate Meta had considered hiding like counts as early as 2019.
Its Project Daisy tests reportedly found only modest effects on user well-being while daily users were estimated to decline by just 0.09% if the measure were adopted.
Meta ultimately made the feature optional rather than implementing it universally.
Experts Give Mixed Verdict
Youth safety concerns surrounding Meta have persisted for years, with internal research and legal disclosures highlighting issues involving algorithmic recommendations, body-image content and features designed to encourage longer periods of use.
Bejar’s allegations that Meta’s own systems recorded higher rates of negative experiences than the company’s official estimates were central to the states’ case, but the settlement addresses those concerns less directly.
Mental health experts have offered a mixed response. Clinical psychologist Dr. Jane Conron said a built-in limit on daily Instagram and Facebook use could help some teenagers while an optional non-algorithmic feed may have limited impact because few young users are likely to choose it.
The debate also extends beyond the US. In Australia, where social media access for under-16s has been restricted, regulators have found that eight in 10 young teens remain on social platforms, highlighting the difficulty of enforcing age-based protections.
For Meta, the settlement may bring significant financial and regulatory consequences. For critics such as Bejar, the larger question remains whether the measures will make the platforms genuinely safer for young users.
Source: Reuters
Vishal is an experienced Editor at Inspirepreneur Magazine with key interests in artificial intelligence, eCommerce, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and startup sector. Prior to joining Inspirepreneur, he was a Content Writer cum Correspondent at Siliconindia Magazine, where he worked on Company Profiles, Cover Stories, Executive Profiles, Feature Articles and Thought Leadership content.
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