‘Safety was an afterthought’: Ex-Meta engineer's explosive testimony on Instagram and kids
A former Meta engineering director testified that Instagram followed a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach toward users under 13, alleging the company prioritised engagement and profit over child safety.
Former Meta engineering director Arturo Bejar has accused the social media giant of treating child safety on Instagram as secondary to user engagement and profits. Speaking during his testimony in a federal lawsuit against Meta, Bejar alleged that the company adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to users under 13 years old.
He claimed that Meta prioritized features that encouraged addiction among children, violated privacy laws by collecting data without consent, and focused on user engagement metrics over child safety. Bejar, who previously testified before Congress on child safety, noted that Meta's employee evaluations were based on user engagement metrics, leading to a culture where the mental well-being of young users was neglected in favor of increasing profits.
The lawsuit, filed by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, accuses Meta of knowingly allowing underage users on its platform and failing to implement effective age verification measures. Bejar also criticized Meta's "Take a Break" feature, calling it a tool that was "designed to fail" and should be enabled by default.
The trial, which began on August 17, is expected to last about six weeks and could result in significant financial penalties for Meta.
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