Ignoring the detrimental effects on teenagers: Meta whistleblower sheds light before Congress
Meta whistleblower exposes CEO Mark Zuckerberg and top executives for disregarding alarming concerns about the detrimental effects of Instagram on teenagers, sparking demands for accountability from lawmakers
During the Senate subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, it was revealed by a company whistleblower that top executives at Meta, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, had disregarded warnings for an extended period of time concerning the negative impact on teenagers using platforms like Instagram.
Arturo Bejar, a former engineering director and consultant at Facebook, stated that Meta has instead cultivated a culture of "turning a blind eye," where they ignore internal evidence of harm and publicly present manipulated metrics to downplay the issue.
Bejar is the most recent ex-employee to make public accusations that the technology giant is aware of issues that its policies and technology cannot effectively resolve at low cost.
Bejar appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify, following his unsuccessful attempts in the fall of 2021 to engage with Zuckerberg and his senior staff. These efforts were based on research conducted by his team regarding the experiences of teenagers and other individuals using Meta's platforms.
Sexual harassment of teens
The hearing scheduled for Tuesday pertains to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, which highlighted Bejar's allegations. It stated that he was initially driven to investigate the matter due to his 14-year-old daughter receiving unsolicited sexual advances from unknown individuals on Instagram.
Bejar testified that it is unacceptable for a 13-year-old girl to receive unwanted sexual advances on social media. He referenced his research, which revealed that over 25% of 13-to-15-year-olds have reported such experiences on Instagram. He emphasized that this should not be allowed, and his work has demonstrated that there are solutions available.
In response to criticisms directed at its platforms, Meta has introduced around 30 parental controls. These controls allow parents to manage their children's interactions and control the amount of time they spend on Facebook and Instagram.
The Tuesday hearing once again puts Meta in the crossfire of bipartisan Congress, who have continuously grappled with creating legislation and regulations for social media in light of industry lobbying, First Amendment considerations, and occasional policy disagreements between Republicans and Democrats. At the same time, both parties have joined forces in accusing Meta of exacerbating a mental health crisis nationwide.
Behar's testimony comes precisely two years after Frances Haugen, another former Meta employee, emerged with extensive internal documents that she claimed demonstrated Instagram's awareness of the potential harm it could cause to children.
Haugen stated in a recent interview with CNN that Bejars' research is essentially undeniable evidence. He emphasized the significance of having emails and responses from high-ranking executives such as former COO Sheryl Sandberg, indicating that this is a highly significant development.
"Every day, a multitude of individuals both within and outside of Meta are dedicated to enhancing the safety of young people online," said Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, in a statement. Stone explained that user perception surveys, like the one Bejar worked on, shed light on certain aspects of this effort. As a result of such surveys, Meta has developed features such as anonymous notifications for potentially harmful content and comment warnings.
Stone emphasized that although the specific user perception survey conducted by Bejar is no longer conducted by the company, Meta continues to conduct various other types of user perception surveys. Additionally, Stone noted that certain tools introduced by Meta, such as the ability for teens to silently mute other users, directly stemmed from these surveys.
Lawmakers unload on Meta
Lawmakers expressed strong criticism towards the social media giant on Tuesday, stating that they were "in no way surprised" by Bejars allegations. They urged for the prompt enactment of legislation to regulate Meta and other tech giants.
Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal accused them of concealing credible evidence of harms from both this committee and all of Congress.
Missouri Republican Josh Hawley heavily criticized Big Tech companies for investing significant amounts of money to exert control over the legislative process and undermine bills that aim to curtail their power. He further alleged that Meta manipulated data concerning mental health risks, suggesting they "cooked the books."
Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn highlighted that Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri had appeared before the Senate shortly after being informed by Bejar, Zuckerberg, Sandberg, and Chief Product Officer Chris Cox regarding his concerns.
"Actually, Mr. Mosseri testified only a few months after you had sent him two emails regarding the negative effects on young people using the platform," Blackburn stated. "During his testimony, Mr. Mosseri expressed his concern for the well-being of teenagers on Instagram, explaining that they extensively research issues such as bullying and social comparison in order to implement necessary changes. Do you concur with his statement?"
Bejar responded, "I agree that they conduct research, but I disagree with the idea of making changes."
Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy questioned, "Isn't it true that social media has reduced the cost of behaving poorly?"
Bejar concurred, stating, "Indeed, I believe they incentivize being disrespectful individuals."
In 2015, Bejar departed from Facebook; however, he reappeared as a consultant dedicated to addressing concerns regarding user well-being in 2019 due to his daughters' unpleasant encounters with unwelcome sexual advances. Despite his daughter's reports of these incidents, Bejar claimed that Facebook took no action.
Bejar, hired by Facebook to investigate the matter, encountered significant obstacles within the organization.
Speaking to lawmakers, Bejar expressed his belief that the company's culture promotes a willful ignorance of any wrongdoing. He highlighted the lack of interest in understanding people's experiences and the unwillingness to invest in necessary tools.
Meta has previously claimed that it is committed to ensuring user safety and takes strong action against harmful content, as it understands that users do not wish to come across such material. However, during the testimony to lawmakers on Tuesday, Bejar stated that disclosing survey data on self-reported negative experiences on Meta platforms during every earnings call would significantly enhance user experiences.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Bejar's survey revealed that over 25% of users under the age of 16 reported having a negative encounter on Instagram, where they witnessed instances of hostility targeting individuals based on their race, religion, or identity.
According to Bejars research, over 20% of individuals reported feeling worse about themselves after seeing posts from others, and 13% had encountered unwanted sexual advances within the last week. Blumenthal also stated that Bejars research revealed that almost 30% of young teenagers have witnessed discrimination based on gender, religion, race, and sexual orientation.
A call for accountability
Bejars primary claim is that Meta has focused extensively on implementing automated detection systems for identifying content that blatantly violates their rules, but has neglected to allocate sufficient resources towards manually reviewing cases that may not explicitly breach the rules but could still be distressing to users.
After contacting Zuckerberg, Sandberg, Cox, and Mosseri, Bejar received individual sympathetic messages from Sandberg, and had a meeting with Mosseri to discuss the matter, as reported by the Journal. However, despite leaving the company in October 2021, Bejar states that his complaints were not addressed and he never heard from Zuckerberg.
Bejar's evidence, presented as part of a multistate federal lawsuit against Meta filed recently, has the potential to encourage more whistleblowers to come forward, according to Haugen. Additionally, it provides more clarity and fills in the gaps of the incomplete picture that was initially presented to the public during her first testimony.
Lawmakers, including Hawley and Blumenthal, declared on Tuesday their determination to expedite the passage of a significant bill, commonly referred to as the Kids Online Safety Act, by the year's end.
Blumenthal asserted, "Big Tech is facing imminent jeopardy," alluding to past government interventions aimed at curbing detrimental products. He highlighted that the average American comprehends the "adverse effects" and likened it to the hazards of smoking. He concluded by stating that Big Tech is the equivalent of "the contemporary Big Tobacco."
CNNs Samantha Kelly contributed reporting.
