Ex-Meta engineer ties child-safety lapses to growth at US trial
What’s new: A former engineering director testified that product changes moved only when Mark Zuckerberg made them a priority.
A former Meta engineering director told a federal court in Oakland, California, that the company treated child safety as secondary to growth and engagement on Facebook and Instagram. Arturo Bejar, the first witness in a trial brought by 29 states, said Meta’s top-down culture meant meaningful product changes happened only if CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushed for them. The states say Meta built features such as infinite scroll and likes to keep children using its apps, while collecting data from users under 13 in violation of federal law. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking about $200 billion in penalties and court-ordered changes to the platforms. The trial is expected to last six weeks, and Zuckerberg is expected to testify.