Former Meta Engineer Testifies on Inadequate Child Protection – Senate Addresses Teen Mental Health Crisis
On Tuesday, a former engineer from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, appeared before the U.S. Senate to testify about the company’s insufficient efforts to protect children from online sexual harassment. Arturo Béjar, the whistleblower, spoke during a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, which aimed to address the contribution of social media platforms to the ongoing crisis of teen mental health.
During his testimony, Béjar, who had worked with Meta from 2009 to 2015 and again from 2019 to 2021, shared his firsthand experience as a concerned father whose child had encountered unwanted sexual advances on Instagram. He revealed how his daughter and her friends faced repeated harassment and reported the incidents to the company, only to be met with no action on Meta’s part.
Béjar returned to Meta in 2019 to join Instagram’s wellbeing team and shed light on a study revealing that one in eight children aged 13 to 15 had experienced unwanted sexual advances on the platform within the last seven days. He criticized Meta’s executives for being aware of the harm children face on their platform but failing to address it adequately. Béjar emphasized that although Meta is a data-driven company, it has chosen not to be transparent about the harm inflicted on children and has shown reluctance in reducing these incidents.
As Béjar called for increased transparency and accountability from social media companies, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) stated that Big Tech had failed to regulate itself, leading Congress to consider enacting legislation to safeguard children. Joining the discussion, Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri acknowledged the significance of Béjar’s testimony and highlighted its relevance to every parent.
The issue of social media’s impact on teenagers’ mental health has been an ongoing concern. In a congressional hearing last year, Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri faced senators’ criticism regarding the platform’s dangers and negative effects on young users. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) shared that his office had created a fake Instagram account posing as a 13-year-old girl, and the content recommended by the app quickly turned towards promoting body dysmorphia and the sexualization of women.
Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee expressed frustration with Instagram, as parents continuously hear promises of change without witnessing significant improvements.
In summary, the testimonies provided by the former Meta engineer Arturo Béjar shed light on the insufficient child protection measures and impact on teen mental health found within social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. It has become evident that social media companies need to become more transparent and accountable in tackling these issues. The Senate’s discussion on the matter indicates a growing determination among lawmakers to pass legislation that safeguards children from the harmful effects of social media.
