Former Meta engineer and whistleblower Arturo Béjar testified in federal court in Oakland, California, stating that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a corporate culture that treated child safety as secondary to growth, engagement, and revenue on Facebook and Instagram according to Reuters. Testifying for a second day in the landmark trial, Béjar asserted that Zuckerberg was closely involved in decision-making and that the Menlo Park, California-based company maintained a top-down culture ensuring product design changes occurred only if the CEO ordered them.
Arturo Béjar Testifies in Landmark Child Safety Trial Against Meta
If Mark makes something a priority, mountains move in months,
Béjar said during the proceedings, according to Reuters. Béjar stated that safety was not a meaningful priority
and that efforts to introduce or alter features to address risks were difficult to implement as the company continually chose policies that prioritized usership over safety.
Lawsuit Allegations and State Claims
The legal proceedings involve claims brought by a coalition of 29 states accusing Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook young users, fueling anxiety, depression, and suicide, and misleading consumers regarding platform safety. States including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey also accuse Meta of violating federal law by improperly collecting and using personal data from children under 13 while using its platforms. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will determine whether Meta is liable, alongside deciding civil penalties and potential changes to Facebook and Instagram.
Meta’s Defense and Response
Meta has denied the allegations. In his opening statement, attorney Paul Schmidt argued that the company was sensitive to risks facing teens, sought to address them, and did not deceive the public. Meta attorney Brian Stekloff cross-examined Béjar, prompting him to affirm that the company employs highly educated, well-qualified people to work on safety and that social media offers benefits to teens. Béjar acknowledged that none of the specific risk issues he worked on had been solved and described features designed to support mental health as designed to fail,
comparing them to having a car where the brakes are in the trunk.
Background of the Whistleblower
Béjar worked at Facebook from 2009 to 2015, focusing largely on cyberbullying, and returned from 2019 to 2021 as a consultant on Instagram’s wellbeing team after observing how his daughter was treated as a teen on the platform. He previously testified before a U.S. Senate committee in 2023, alleging that Meta pushed content to teens promoting bullying, drug abuse, eating disorders, and self-harm, and also gave an interview to The Wall Street Journal describing his concerns.
