Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A former Facebook safety employee and whistleblower is criticizing Meta’s $18 billion seattlement with dozens of states, arguing the agreement does not do enough to protect children and holds the company insufficiently accountable.
Arturo Bejar, who previously worked at Facebook, spoke out just days after Meta agreed to the landmark deal resolving litigation brought by over two dozen states. The states had sued Meta, accusing the company of intentionally designing its platforms to addict minors. Meta has denied the allegations.
Bejar said the settlement gives Meta too much control over how harm is defined and measured.
"The biggest challenge with the settlement is that, in the first page, Meta gets to define harm as whatever they define it as, and they get to put it in terms of the things they're already doing,” Bejar told Politico.
Bejar testified during the federal trial last week and has previously raised concerns about child safety at Meta. In November 2023, he told senators on Capitol Hill that his underage daughter received unwanted advances on Instagram.
"It is unacceptable that a 13-year-old girl gets propositioned on social media. Unfortunately it happens all too frequently today,” Bejar said.
Under the settlement, Meta is required to pay $18 billion over 10 years and make significant changes to its platforms, including strict time constraints, nighttime blackouts, school-hour silencing and age verification tools.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is among the state leaders who rejected the settlement. Instead, he intends to pursue a trial.
"It might look like a big number but this is a trillion and a half dollar company. This a rounding error that should not get them off scot-free for over a decade of harms to our kids,” Uthmeier told CNBC last week.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment directly on Bejar’s criticism, but noted that Bejar has testified against the company at least four times in 2026 alone, and stressed, “...these are significant, extensive changes that will impact millions of parents and teens across the United States.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who co-led the lawsuit, called the settlement “groundbreaking” and emphasized that the focus is not the financial penalty.
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A former Facebook safety employee and whistleblower is criticizing Meta’s $18 billion seattlement with dozens of states, arguing the agreement does not do enough to protect children and holds the company insufficiently accountable.
Arturo Bejar, who previously worked at Facebook, spoke out just days after Meta agreed to the landmark deal resolving litigation brought by over two dozen states. The states had sued Meta, accusing the company of intentionally designing its platforms to addict minors. Meta has denied the allegations.
Bejar said the settlement gives Meta too much control over how harm is defined and measured.
"The biggest challenge with the settlement is that, in the first page, Meta gets to define harm as whatever they define it as, and they get to put it in terms of the things they're already doing,” Bejar told Politico.
Bejar testified during the federal trial last week and has previously raised concerns about child safety at Meta. In November 2023, he told senators on Capitol Hill that his underage daughter received unwanted advances on Instagram.
"It is unacceptable that a 13-year-old girl gets propositioned on social media. Unfortunately it happens all too frequently today,” Bejar said.
Under the settlement, Meta is required to pay $18 billion over 10 years and make significant changes to its platforms, including strict time constraints, nighttime blackouts, school-hour silencing and age verification tools.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is among the state leaders who rejected the settlement. Instead, he intends to pursue a trial.
"It might look like a big number but this is a trillion and a half dollar company. This a rounding error that should not get them off scot-free for over a decade of harms to our kids,” Uthmeier told CNBC last week.
A Meta spokesperson declined to comment directly on Bejar’s criticism, but noted that Bejar has testified against the company at least four times in 2026 alone, and stressed, “...these are significant, extensive changes that will impact millions of parents and teens across the United States.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who co-led the lawsuit, called the settlement “groundbreaking” and emphasized that the focus is not the financial penalty.
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For more information, visit 13wham.com
Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: news@13wham.com
Call the Newsroom: (585) 334-8700
WHAM is a NY based station and a ABC Television affiliate owned and operated by Deerfield Media, Inc and receives certain services from an affiliation of Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today.
#13WHAM #News #Rochester #NewYork
