***Video***Blumenthal Questions Whistleblower on Meta Executives' Failures to Address Kids' Harms: "They Knew & Were Not Acting on It"

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, questioned whistleblower Arturo Bejar, former Director of Engineering for Protect and Care at Facebook at a hearing titled “Social Media and the Teen Mental Health Crisis.” Blumenthal discussed with Bejar the concerns and safety recommendations the whistleblower brought directly to Meta executives; their inexcusable failures to address those harms, denial of problems, and dismantling of safety teams; and the need for legislative action to hold Big Tech accountable through the Kids Online Safety Act, legislation Blumenthal co-authored with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), which currently has nearly 50 cosponsors in the Senate.

Raising the alarm at Meta

Blumenthal questioned Bejar on the concerns he raised directly to Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, Chris Cox, and other Meta executives:

Blumenthal: [Y]ou told me a story about meeting with another senior executive, Chris Cox, Facebook's Chief Product Officer. And it was just was so striking to me that he already knew a lot of the numbers and statistics and evidence of harm you were bringing to Mark Zuckerberg's attention. Why was this meeting so memorable to you?

Bejar: […] I would ask people, “do you know what percentage of people are experiencing this?” and nobody was able to answer off the top of their head. The first person to do that was Chris Cox. And I found it heartbreaking because it meant that they knew and that they were not acting on it. 

Blumenthal: In effect, their expressed caring about teens and safety and protecting children was all a charade, a mockery. They already had the evidence that you are bringing to their attention. They knew about it and they disregarded it, correct? 

Bejar: Yes, that is correct. 

Blumenthal: And then they rejected your recommendations for making Facebook and Instagram safer, correct?

Bejar: That is correct. 

Meta’s Failures to Design a Safer Product

Blumenthal discussed with Bejar a memo he sent to Mosseri, in which he urged the company to view designing a safer product as an opportunity to lead in the space:

Blumenthal: You made the point, “Everyone in the industry has the same problems right now.”

Bejar: Correct. 

Blumenthal: You made that point to Mr. Mosseri, and, in effect, urged Meta to be a leader. Instagram and Facebook could be a leader. And, you said “There is a great product opportunity in figuring out the features that make a community feel safe and supported.” A great product opportunity. In fact, you were inviting them to design a better product that consumers would prefer because it was safer. Correct?

Bejar: Correct. 

…

Blumenthal: You were appealing to the better instincts of Adam Mosseri and Zuckerberg and the whole team, correct?

Bejar: That is correct. I mean, Instagram is a product, like ice cream or a toy or a car. I ask you, how many kids need to get sick from a batch of ice cream or be hurt by a car before there are all manners of investigations?

Need for Congressional Action & Passing the Kids Online Safety Act

Blumenthal discussed with Bejar the need for Congressional action in light of Meta and other social media companies’ failures to address harms to kids online:

Blumenthal: Do you think that we, the Congress of the United States, should now act? Do you think action is long overdue in this area given the total lack of credibility on the part of social media? 

Bejar: Yes. My experience after sending that email and seeing what happened afterwards is that they knew. There are things they could do about it. They chose not to do them, and we cannot trust them with our children, and it is time for Congress to act. The evidence I believe is overwhelming. 

Blumenthal: Big Tech is the next Big Tobacco…The same kind of addictive product that Big Tobacco peddled to kids, now is advanced to them and promoted and pitched by Big Tech, and we need to break the straitjacket they have imposed through their armies of lobbyists and lawyers.

…

Blumenthal: I am very hopeful we will have not only a vote, but an overwhelmingly positive bipartisan vote in favor of the Kids Online Safety bill. And, I challenge social media and Big Tech to come forward and put your money where your mouth is. Put your actions where your rhetoric is. Support this bill.

For years, in fact, before our committees, they have said, “oh, we want regulation, but just not that regulation.” And, that has been their mantra— “trust us.”

No longer will kids or parents trust social media to impose the right safeguards. And, we want to give them the tools that their products need so the kids can take back their lives online.

Video of Blumenthal’s questions and comments at the hearing can be found here, here, here, and here.

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