A former Meta engineering director testifies that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture in which child safety was treated as secondary to growth and user engagement on Facebook and Instagram. Arturo Béjar, who worked on safety issues for about eight years, says he repeatedly raised concerns about potential harm to children and that executives did little to address them.
Béjar’s testimony occurs in a landmark federal case brought by a coalition of U.S. states led by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, alongside 25 other states. The states accuse Meta of designing products to keep young users engaged, misleading consumers about platform safety, and improperly collecting or using personal data of children under 13 while they use the services. Outlet accounts describe claims that Meta’s recommendations and content systems could amplify material involving sexual exploitation and violent or graphic images.
Several reports frame Béjar’s central allegation as a “growth before child safety” approach and cite a claimed “don’t ask, don’t tell” posture on the issue. Other coverage notes Béjar says Zuckerberg was closely involved in decisions and that the CEO’s public statements denying a profit-over-safety culture were inconsistent with Béjar’s experience. Meta denies the allegations, and the trial is expected to last about six weeks, with Zuckerberg anticipated to testify.
