WASHINGTON (TNND) — A former Facebook safety employee and whistleblower is criticizing Meta’s $18 billion settlement 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. (TNND)
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.
It’s about the changes in behavior going forward that Meta will be forced by our case, by our settlement, to adopt that will help reduce the harm to kids,” Bonta told The National News Desk after the settlement was announced.
Looking ahead, Meta announced that 30% of the settlement will be released to states only if YouTube and TikTok implement similar features.
I think a lot of pressure is on them now to contribute to this settlement and to make changes to their platforms. Will they do that or will they fight the attorneys general and other lawsuits around the country? I expect them to get in line behind this Meta settlement but time will tell,” former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, John Fishwick, told The National News Desk Tuesday.
Separately, the California Legislature passed a bill this week that would prohibit social media platforms from providing addictive features to users under 16-years-old. The legislation now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, and if signed, would take effect in January.
