Meta faces massive penalty in child‑safety trial as former engineer testifies
A federal trial in Oakland involves a coalition of 29 state attorneys general accusing Meta Platforms of designing Facebook and Instagram in ways that harm minors and of collecting data from children under 13 in violation of privacy law. Former Meta safety researcher Arturo Béjar testified that features such as likes counters, infinite scroll and autoplay were chosen to increase teen engagement and that safety tools were deliberately made difficult to use.
An eight‑person advisory jury will present its findings to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will decide liability and any damages. Meta’s spokesperson argues the states have not proven misrepresentation or harm and says the financial demands are excessive.
How this was covered
- Right-leaning outlets covered this 28h later
- Coverage peaked at 6 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
The outcome could reshape how major social‑media platforms are built and regulated, affecting the online experience of millions of young users.
How this story developed
- Aug 18 Meta faces federal trial over alleged child safety harms in California
- Aug 18 Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers allowed whistleblower testimony and key internal documents at the start of the trial.
- Aug 19 Former Meta safety researcher Arturo Béjar testified that he raised safety concerns with Mark Zuckerberg more than one hundred times.
- Aug 20 An eight‑person advisory jury will deliver findings to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
- Aug 21 TikTok and its parent ByteDance will pay $400 million to resolve a U.S. lawsuit accusing the platform of breaching child-privacy rules.
- Aug 22 The settlement specifies a $300 million immediate payment and a $100 million contingent payment.
Related stories
2 in this thread