# Former Meta safety executive testifies in states' youth-harm trial

_Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 3:52 AM EDT · Power, Products · Developing · Tier 1 — Major_

![Former Meta safety executive testifies in states' youth-harm trial — Primary](https://media.thenextweb.com/2026/08/Arturo-Bejar.jpg)

Former Meta employee Arturo Béjar testified in Oakland in the federal trial brought by California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey over alleged harms to minors from Facebook and Instagram. Béjar told the jury that safety measures were left as optional settings rather than defaults and attributed failures to the company's culture. Meta's counsel said the company had addressed risks and had not misled the public. The six-week trial concerns consumer-protection and children's-privacy statutes.

## Sources

- [The Next Web](https://thenextweb.com/news/meta-trial-bejar-testimony-oakland)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/9i6P6ansdZgyTwGcPP1zoM
Retrieved: 2026-08-20T09:45:44.891Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)