Instagram took ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach to kids, former engineer testifies — and pay was tied to keeping them online
“If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,” Arturo Béjar testified. It had the tools to know better, too.
A former Meta engineering director testified that the company adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to protecting children under 13 on its platforms, prioritizing profits over safety. Arturo Béjar, who previously worked at Facebook, said Meta's focus was on user engagement and monetization, even if it was detrimental to young users' mental health.
During his testimony, Béjar revealed that Meta had "tens of thousands" of underage users on Instagram, despite claiming to have sophisticated age verification systems in place. The lawsuit alleges that Meta knowingly collected data from underage users without parental consent, violating federal law.
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