Former Meta Official: Zuckerberg Prioritized Company Growth at the Expense of Children's Safety
A former engineering director at Meta Platforms testified on Wednesday that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture that treated child safety as secondary to growth and engagement rates on Facebook and Instagram.
Arturo Bejar, one of Meta’s most vocal critics regarding its safety record, made these remarks on the second day of his testimony in a high-profile trial brought by a coalition of states, which could reshape the policies of Facebook and Instagram, two of the most popular apps ever.
The states, along with 25 others, also accuse Meta of violating federal law by improperly collecting and using the personal data of children under 13 while they use its platforms.
Experts say this trial represents the most significant legal test to date of the impact of social media on young users.
The trial began on Tuesday at a federal court in Oakland, California, and is expected to last six weeks.
Bejar, the first witness for the states, said that Zuckerberg was closely involved in many decision-making processes and that the company’s hierarchical culture ensured that product design changes only occurred with his approval. Bejar rejected Zuckerberg’s October 2021 claims that Meta consistently used research to improve its products. Zuckerberg made those remarks following allegations by whistleblower Frances Haugen that Meta knew its products were unsafe for children and knew how to make them safer but chose not to act in pursuit of higher profits.
“This is completely false, every part of it... You simply cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg when it comes to children,” Bejar said.
Bejar worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and conducted a study on the well-being of teenage Instagram users while working as an independent contractor from 2019 to 2021.
He previously testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023 that Meta was aware of harassment and other harms faced by teenagers on its platforms but failed to take action to address those issues.
He said it was “common knowledge” at Meta that most parents do not have the time to understand the company’s products or how their children use them. He added that Meta possessed the technology to identify millions of users suspected of being under 13 but adopted a policy of turning a blind eye because doing so would increase long-term profits.
Meta faces thousands of similar lawsuits alleging harm to children. Bejar is a key witness against the company in four trials.
One of those cases, brought by the state of New Mexico, ended with a court ruling ordering Meta to pay $942 million in damages and fines, and mandating that the company modify its platform policies in the state.
