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Meta Knew About Addiction Issues and Misled Parents, Whistleblowers Testify in Trial

Two former senior leaders said the company prioritized ‘power and growth’ and targeted teens.
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Meta Knew About Addiction Issues and Misled Parents, Whistleblowers Testify in Trial
Meta whistleblower Arturo Bejar, former director of Engineering for Protect and Care at Facebook in Berkeley, Calif., testifies before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee in Washington on Nov. 7, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
Beige Luciano-Adams
Beige Luciano-Adams
3/6/2026|Updated: 3/6/2026
0:00

LOS ANGELES—Testifying in a high-stakes jury trial considering whether social media companies are designing their platforms to be addictive to young people despite known risks, a former director who oversaw safety at Meta on Thursday told a jury the company’s leadership was aware of “staggering” rates of harm to children but chose to bury the problem.

“Meta’s executive leadership are aware of a significant amount of harms kids experience on the platforms and chose not to address it, or tell parents about it,” Arturo Bejar, a former director of engineering at the tech giant, told the court.

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Beige Luciano-Adams
Beige Luciano-Adams
Author
Beige Luciano-Adams is an investigative reporter covering Los Angeles and statewide issues in California. She has covered politics, arts, culture, and social issues for a variety of outlets, including LA Weekly and MediaNews Group publications. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X: https://twitter.com/LucianoBeige
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