The ex-employee, Arturo Bejar, told jurors that Meta’s staff reviews and bonuses were heavily tied to user count and time spent on its platforms|Nokia621|CC BY-SA 4.0
An ex-Meta engineer testified that the company adopted a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach regarding Instagram and Facebook users under the age of 13 and prioritized profits over child safety.
The ex-employee, Arturo Bejar, continued his testimony in the landmark trial in California.
Four states sued Meta in 2023, alleging that the company deliberately designed addictive features and illegally collected children’s data without parental consent.
Bejar told jurors that safety was treated as an “afterthought” because employee reviews and bonuses were heavily tied to user growth and the amount of time people spent on Meta’s platforms.
Although federal law requires social media users to be at least 13, Bejar said he found “tens of thousands” of children under that age on Instagram despite Meta’s account-detection capabilities.
He also criticized Meta’s 2021 “Take a Break” feature, arguing that users often do not activate it and that it should be enabled by default.
Meta rejects the claims, asserting its commitment to teen safety. The states are seeking major changes to Instagram and Meta, along with $1.4 trillion in penalties.