Meta whistleblower says Zuckerberg lied on child safety

Arturo Bejar, a former Meta safety engineer, testified Tuesday in a federal trial that company CEO Mark Zuckerberg knowingly created a "false and misleading impression" of Facebook's commitment to protecting young users, alleging the social media giant adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to child safety despite repeated internal warnings about harmful content.

Engineer's testimony

Bejar told jurors in Oakland, California that he had briefed Zuckerberg on product issues at least 100 times during his tenure at the technology firm, and sent a direct email in 2021 warning about frequent reports of harmful content shortly after the CEO publicly denied putting profit ahead of user safety. "I felt that he created a false and misleading impression of Facebook's commitment to young people," Bejar said, noting that the company knew its platforms could expose children to sexual predators and violent or graphic material through algorithmic recommendation systems.

State attorneys general case

The case was initiated in 2023 by attorneys general from 29 states, with California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey leading the prosecution in the high-profile trial before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will ultimately decide Meta's liability while the eight-member jury serves merely an advisory role. "I heard from many of you at jury selection that the health and well-being of kids is a shared responsibility," California deputy attorney general Megan O'Neill told the court, adding that "Meta didn't do its share" in protecting minors from addictive product designs and unauthorized data collection.

Meta response

Meta attorney Paul Schmidt acknowledged that some users struggle with social media platforms but stated the company has developed comprehensive tools to address these concerns and has already disabled more than one million accounts belonging to underage users, noting that children under 13 are explicitly prohibited from creating accounts under current policies. Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, and other senior executives are expected to testify during the proceedings, which are anticipated to continue for at least six weeks in the California federal courthouse.