Technology Desk: A big lawsuit is going on in America against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to child safety and social media addiction. In this hearing going on in the Federal Court in Oakland, California, the testimony of the company's former safety engineer Arturo Bejar has made the matter more serious. In this case, 29 American states have accused Meta of designing its platforms in a way that harms children and teenagers and violating laws to children's personal information.
What allegations did the former engineer make?
Arturo Bejar worked at META on child safety tools for nearly six years. In the court, he alleged that the company was aware that children were facing various threats on its platform, but adequate steps were not taken to address these problems.
Bejar reportedly spoke of a “don't ask, don't tell” attitude regarding company policies. According to him, despite being aware that children under 13 years of age were using the platform, the company did not do enough to identify and remove them.
He also narrated the experience of his 14 year old daughter in the court. According to him, when his daughter created an Instagram account, she started receiving requests for sex and private pictures from unknown people. Bejar said the incident gave her a personal understanding of the dangers children face on the platform.
Question on 'Take a break' feature also
Bejar also questioned Instagram's “Take a Break” feature. He says that this feature reminds the user to stay away from the app for some time, but it has to be turned on manually.
That is, if a child or teenager does not activate this feature, then he does not get the benefit of it. The documents presented in the court also cite Bejar's testimony and say that this feature does not stop the user from using the app, but only reminds him to take breaks.
Bejar alleges that in Meta's product design, great importance was given to keeping the user on the platform for a longer period. He says that notifications and other features were designed in such a way that the user returns to the app again and again and keeps scrolling for a longer time.
Objectionable content was reaching children
In this case, questions have also been raised regarding protecting children from sexual predators and other dangerous content. The states allege that Meta was aware of safety issues involving children on the platform, yet the company did not make adequate changes to its systems.
The case also alleges that the company collected data of children under 13 years of age without the consent of their parents. This allegation is extremely significant under COPPA, the federal law to American children's online privacy.
29 states sued Meta
This case is not just a case involving one child or one family. Attorneys General of 29 US states have taken action against Meta. Allegations include designs that make the platform addictive to children, harm to mental health, collecting data from underage users and downplaying security risks.
However, in the current trial going on in Oakland, the claims of all 29 states are not being heard together. This phase includes cases from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
How big is the threat of fine on Meta?
The potential financial loss in this lawsuit could be huge. The amount that can be demanded by the states is theoretically said to be around 1.4 trillion dollars. This amount could amount to more than ₹120 lakh crore in Indian currency, although the actual penalty may be much different and will depend on the court's decision.
Meta's own securities filing also notes that in separate lawsuits involving children and youth, claimants in some cases have indicated a potential amount of more than $1 trillion.
Apart from this, the demand of the states is not limited to money only. In some cases, there have also been demands for changes in the way Facebook and Instagram work, better checking of the age of children and implementing new rules on some design features of the platforms.
What did Meta say on the allegations?
Meta has rejected these allegations. The company says that it has developed many features and security measures for the safety of children and teenagers. The company also says that it is working with parents, safety experts and other organizations to improve the safety of children.
Meta's lawyers have also argued in court that it is not right to assume a direct and proven link between social media and harm to teenagers. The company says that children giving wrong information about their age is also a big challenge for the platform.
Decisions have come against Meta before also
This is not META's first legal challenge in matters involving children and youth. Many different lawsuits are going on against the company in America. In 2026, a jury in a case in Los Angeles also found Meta responsible in a case to the addiction of young users to social media. Meta has appealed that decision.
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