Another former Facebook employee, Arturo Bejar, is set to testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, November 7. Bejar, who formerly worked as a consultant for Instagram, will be speaking out about the company’s alleged failure to address safety issues on the platform for young users.
During his time at Facebook from 2009 to 2015, Bejar claims he raised concerns internally about the harmful experiences young Instagram users were having. He returned to the company in 2019 to advise Instagram’s well-being team. According to Bejar, internal research conducted by Facebook showed that more than 20 percent of users under the age of 16 reported feeling worse about themselves after viewing other users’ posts. Additionally, 13 percent of young users said they experienced unwanted sexual advances in the past seven days.
Bejar’s revelations come two years after another former Facebook employee, Frances Huagen, publicly shared internal research regarding the negative effects of Instagram on teen mental health. Huagen’s disclosures shed light on controversial decisions made within the company, prompting Instagram to halt the development of a dedicated app for children. This also led to investigations by numerous states into Facebook’s practices.
Just last week, 41 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Meta, Facebook’s parent company, for allegedly harming the mental health of its youngest users through “harmful and psychologically manipulative product features.” Bejar reportedly provided consultation to state officials for their case against Meta. Now, he is prepared to speak openly about his experiences before Congress.
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In a statement, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal, both members of the judiciary committee, highlighted the significance of Bejar’s disclosures. They revealed that Bejar warned Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, and other Meta executives about the dangers faced by millions of teenagers on the platform, including bullying, exposure to eating disorder content, illicit drugs, and sexual exploitation. Despite these warnings, Facebook allegedly concealed this information and ignored recommendations to enhance the safety of young users. The company even rolled back safety tools and dismantled teams responsible for ensuring kids’ safety.
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has yet to respond to a request for comment. However, the company told The Wall Street Journal that it disagrees with Bejar’s claims regarding the lack of attention given to well-being research. They stated that several safety updates have been implemented as a result of the work conducted by Bejar and his team.
The testimony of Arturo Bejar is expected to shed further light on the company’s handling of safety issues on Instagram, particularly as it relates to young users. This testimony comes at a time when social media platforms are facing increasing scrutiny for their impact on mental health and wellbeing, especially among vulnerable populations like teenagers. The information provided by Bejar and the ongoing investigations by state attorneys general could potentially have significant implications for how social media companies are regulated moving forward.
It remains to be seen what actions will be taken in response to the allegations made by Bejar and the state attorneys general. However, this public outcry against Facebook’s practices serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing the well-being of users, particularly when it comes to protecting young individuals from potential harm on social media platforms.
