Former Meta engineer Arturo Béjar testified in federal court on Wednesday, stating that the company’s leadership prioritized user growth over child safety. Béjar, appearing as a witness in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of states including California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey, alleged that CEO Mark Zuckerberg fostered a culture that made it difficult to implement safety and wellbeing features. Béjar claimed that internal studies at the company highlighted risks to teenagers on Facebook and Instagram, but he stated that policies boosting revenue and usership were consistently favored over safety measures.
The trial, taking place in Oakland, California, follows allegations by state attorneys general that Meta violated consumer and child data protection laws. The states argue that Meta designed features such as infinite scrolling and the "like" button to encourage compulsive use among young users. Meta has denied these claims. During opening statements on Tuesday, Meta attorney Paul Schmidt argued the company sought to address teen risks and did not deceive the public.
During his second day on the witness stand, Béjar addressed a 2021 Facebook post by Zuckerberg that denied prioritizing profit over safety. Béjar testified that, based on his experience, the statement was inaccurate. He further described safety features like "quiet mode" as "designed to fail" because they are optional settings rather than defaults. On cross-examination, Meta attorney Brian Stekloff questioned Béjar on the complexity of these issues, noting that the safety risks Béjar worked on during his two tenures at the company remained unsolved.
The scale of the litigation is significant, involving a consortium of states and following a previous Los Angeles Superior Court verdict in March 2026 that found Meta and Google negligent in a separate social media harms trial. For the average household, the outcome may result in a visible change to how teenagers interact with social media apps, such as the removal of certain engagement features or the automatic muting of notifications. A ruling against Meta would set a precedent for how tech companies are legally required to balance financial growth through advertising against documented mental health risks to their youngest users.
The proceedings are expected to continue for approximately six weeks in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. While Béjar has concluded his current testimony, the state attorneys have not yet indicated whether they will call CEO Mark Zuckerberg to the stand. The trial is part of a broader wave involving thousands of lawsuits against social media companies regarding platform addiction and youth mental health. A final verdict or court-ordered mandates regarding design changes would likely not take effect until after the trial concludes and any subsequent appeals are resolved.