Meta has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a whistleblower who testified during a landmark trial against the company on Tuesday. He is slated to continue his testimony on Wednesday.
Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images. He said he repeatedly raised the issue to various Facebook and Instagram executives but that they did little to resolve it.
Whistleblower details warnings to Zuckerberg
In his testimony, Béjar said his job often included him briefing Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, on product issues. He estimated that he spoke to the CEO at least 100 times. One email Béjar sent to Zuckerberg in 2021 showed the engineer warning of constant reports of harmful content on Facebook. Béjar said he emailed Zuckerberg after the CEO publicly said the company doesn’t prioritize profit over safety.
“I felt that he created a false and misleading impression of Facebook’s commitment to young people,” Béjar testified.
States accuse Meta of designing addictive products
Béjar was the first witness called to the stand in the federal trial that started with opening statements on Tuesday. The case was brought against Meta by 29 US state attorneys general, who allege the social media company deliberately designed addictive products that lured in young people and led to them being harmed. The legal officials also claim Meta regularly collects data on children under the age of 13 without parental permission in violation of federal and state laws.
“I heard from many of you at jury selection that the health and wellbeing of kids is a shared responsibility,” said Megan O’Neill, a deputy attorney general for California, in her opening statements. “Meta didn’t do its share.”
Potential consequences and Meta’s defense
Other witnesses to be called include Zuckerberg and Instagram’s CEO, Adam Mosseri, along with other executives and experts on children’s mental health and addiction. The trial, which is taking place in Oakland, California, is expected to last at least six weeks.
Meta denies all allegations in the case. Paul Schmidt, an attorney for Meta, said in his opening statements that there is “no dispute” people can struggle with social media, but that Meta has “come up with tools to try and address that”. He added the company doesn’t allow children under the age of 13 to register for accounts on its social networks and that it has disabled more than 1m accounts of those young users.
The sweeping legal proceedings could have profound consequences for Meta. If the company is found liable, damages could be as high as $200bn – an amount equivalent to the company’s 2025 annual revenue. The lawmakers are also asking that Meta be forced to change the design of its products to make them safer for children, which could have lasting effects on the company’s business model.
