Former Meta Executive Testifies That Mark Zuckerberg Prioritized Growth Over Child Safety

A former engineering director at Meta Platforms testified this week in a federal trial that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a corporate culture that treated child safety as secondary to user growth and engagement. Arturo Bejar, who worked at Meta between 2009 and 2015 and later as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021, alleged that product design changes only occurred if Zuckerberg personally ordered them. Bejar testified that he emailed Zuckerberg to flag safety concerns in 2021, but he received no response. He further claimed that Meta adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding users under the age of 13 to boost long term profits, despite having the technology to identify such accounts.

The trial, taking place in Oakland, California, was brought by a coalition of 29 US states. The plaintiffs accuse Meta of designing platforms to hook young users, fueling mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, and violating federal laws by collecting data on children under 13 without parental permission. Bejar testified that features like infinite scroll were designed to increase ad revenue and that safety tools, such as the "Take a Break" feature, were designed to fail because they are not enabled by default. During cross examination, Bejar acknowledged that Meta employs hundreds of qualified safety professionals and that he lacked access to some resources during his time as a contractor.

Meta has denied all allegations. An attorney for the company stated that while some people struggle with social media, Meta has developed tools to address these issues and has disabled over one million accounts belonging to users under 13. The trial is expected to last six weeks. If Meta is found liable, the company could face significant civil penalties and be forced to change the design of its products. Center left outlets framed the testimony as a revelation of Zuckerberg's personal dishonesty and the company's predatory nature, while center right coverage focused on the specific legal claims regarding the health of minors and the potential for financial sanctions.