Former Meta engineer testifies Zuckerberg treated child safety as secondary to growth
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The Facts
- Former Meta engineering director Arturo Bejar testified Wednesday that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture treating child safety as secondary to growth and engagement.
- Bejar testified that Instagram took a "don't ask, don't tell" approach toward users under 13 years old.
- Bejar worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and returned as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021.
- California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey allege Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to hook young users and misled consumers about safety.
- Twenty-nine states accuse Meta of violating federal law by improperly collecting personal data from children under 13.
- The trial opened Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, and is expected to last about six weeks.
- Zuckerberg is expected to testify at the trial.
- The states are seeking changes to Meta's product design, an outcome that could alter how Facebook and Instagram operate.
Context
What is financially at stake for Meta?
AFP reported that a loss could expose the company to a penalty of up to $200 billion and force fundamental changes to its business model Yahoo News,Yahoo! Finance,Star .
How is Meta responding to the allegations?
Meta does not deny that some users, including teens, have negative experiences on Facebook and Instagram, but says it built features to reduce those risks Yahoo News,Star . Under cross-examination by Meta lawyer Brian Stekloff, Bejar acknowledged he was unaware of the harm his teenage daughter would face when he helped her set up an Instagram account LBC.
Who is Arturo Bejar?
Bejar is a former Facebook safety engineer and Instagram consultant who is the states' first witness NDTV,Hindustan Times. He testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023 that Meta knew about harassment and other harms facing teenagers but failed to address them LBC,Business Standard.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
Left and right largely agree on this one.
- Where Left and Right agree
- Both treat Bejar's "don't ask, don't tell" account as damning and accept that Meta should be forced to change how its products treat under-13 users.
- Where Left and Right differ in emphasis
- Both want Meta compelled to change; one because products engineered to hook children shift the burden onto the company, the other because no firm gets an exemption from federal law.
How left and right read it
When a product is built to hook the people least equipped to resist it, the burden of proof belongs to the company, not to the kids. That is why the testimony from an engineering director who spent years inside Meta matters — describing a culture that ranked child safety below growth and engagement, and a "don't ask, don't tell" posture toward Instagram users under 13. Four states want the design itself changed. Nothing less would count.
“California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey charge Meta with crafting its products to hook children, sparking depression, anxiety and suicide while deceiving consumers regarding platform safety.” — The Independent
No firm gets to write itself an exemption from the rules every other business obeys, yet twenty-nine states say Meta violated federal law by improperly collecting data from children under 13. Deliberate ignorance is not compliance. A former engineering director described Instagram's posture toward those same users as "don't ask, don't tell" — so when Zuckerberg testifies, which rule will he say his company actually held itself to?
The receipts — all 51 sources
Wire services (2)
Independent coverage (49)
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