Former Meta engineer testifies that Zuckerberg prioritized growth over child safety

A former engineering director at Meta Platforms testified that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture in which child safety was secondary to growth and engagement on Facebook and Instagram. Arturo Béjar, who worked at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and later as an independent contractor, said the company’s top-down decision-making meant product changes occurred only when ordered by Zuckerberg. > "If Mark makes something a priority, mountains move in months," he told the court.

Béjar disputed Zuckerberg’s October 2021 remarks that Meta used research to improve its products, calling them false and stating he had emailed the CEO to flag safety concerns. He also described personal experience with his teenage daughter’s Instagram account, noting she faced misogynistic comments despite gaining a large following.

The trial, brought by a coalition of states accusing Meta of designing platforms to hook young users, violating child-privacy laws and misleading consumers about safety, is expected to last six weeks. Jurors will deliver an advisory verdict, after which Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide liability and any penalties.

According to Béjar, Meta’s “take-a-break” tool was deliberately ineffective because it was not set as the default and reminders could be ignored. He said it was common knowledge at Meta that most parents lacked time to understand the products, and that the company adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to data on users under 13 to protect long-term profits. After his testimony, jurors heard recorded statements from Meta researcher Elena Davis, who said the company could modify Facebook to reduce habit-forming features and support users who want to break unwanted usage patterns.