Mark Zuckerberg encouraged growth over child safety, ex-Meta executive testifies at trial

A former Meta Platforms engineering director, Arturo Bejar, testified on Wednesday that CEO Mark Zuckerberg prioritized growth and engagement over child safety on Facebook and Instagram. During his second day of testimony in a landmark trial, Bejar alleged that Zuckerberg's top-down culture ensured product changes only if ordered by him.

Bejar, who worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015, testified that he emailed Zuckerberg to raise safety concerns, but described the CEO's response as "so false." The states of California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, along with 25 others, are accusing Meta of designing the platforms to hook young users, causing anxiety, depression, and even suicide.

They also claim Meta misled consumers about the safety of its apps and violated federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data of children under 13. Experts view the trial as the most significant legal test of social media's impact on young users. Bejar also testified that Meta employs hundreds of safety personnel but acknowledged that the company's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on underage users was intended to protect profits.