Key witness in Meta trial says terms of settlement insufficient to halt apps’ harms to teenagers

The U.S. government’s trial against Meta featured whistleblower Arturo Béjar, a former Facebook employee, who testified that the multibillion‑dollar settlement reached on Wednesday does not sufficiently protect teenagers from the platform’s harms. He likened the agreement’s time‑limit provisions to allowing smoking two hours a day, arguing that the core addictive and algorithmic design issues remain unaddressed. The settlement requires Meta to implement stricter teen safety measures, such as default non‑algorithmic feeds, enhanced parental controls, “night mode” and “school mode” restrictions, and disabling certain “social comparison” features. State attorneys general praised the deal as a victory, while Meta emphasized existing protections and the value of social media for teens. Béjar criticized the lack of independent oversight and quantifiable harm‑reduction obligations, warning that the product remains harmful and that ongoing work is needed. Meta denied wrongdoing and maintained that its built‑in safeguards already protect young users.

(Source：Google News)