Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta had ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy on child safety, ex-employee testifies in historic trial

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Key points

• "You just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids, " Béjar remarked on the witness stand.
• The state AGs are seeking to force Meta to change key features of its apps and to impose major penalties on Meta over its alleged misdeeds.
• "Where the youngest kids are is where the users are going to be in the future, " Béjar remarked.
• "I kept an eye on how distressing it was for her, " Béjar remarked.
• Meta has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and accused the state AGs of seeking penalties that go far beyond the scope of their case.

Mark Zuckerberg and his minions at Meta had a "don't ask, don't tell" policy when child safety problems arose and preferred to turn a blind eye to protect profits, according to scorching testimony from a former employee on the second day of the historic trial Wednesday.

Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety researcher who has become one of its biggest critics, informed jurors in California federal court that Zuckerberg did little to address the harmful effects of Facebook and Instagram despite having near-unchecked power as the company's CEO.

He was the first witness called by the coalition of 29 state attorneys general who have accused Meta of causing a teen mental health crisis through addictive app design that fueled anxiety, depression and even suicide – all while illegally harvesting kids' data without parental consent.

Meanwhile, the state AGs are seeking to force Meta to change key features of its apps and to impose major penalties on Meta over its alleged misdeeds. While Meta has alleged the actual number could reach an astronomical $1.4 trillion, lawyers for the states remarked the damages could approach $200 billion.

Béjar, who led a safety-focused team at Meta from 2009 to 2015 and afterwards returned as a consultant from 2019 to 2021, accused Zuckerberg of lying concerning the company's commitment to protecting kids in public statements.

"I felt that he created a false and misleading impression of Facebook's commitment to young people, " remarked Béjar, who estimated that he spoke to Zuckerberg concerning safety problems at least 100 times during his tenure.

For context, the researcher continued that Meta had the capability to detect underage users who were evading safeguards but had a "don't ask, don't tell" policy to protect its bottom line.

He previously served as a key witness in a separate trial brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, where he emotionally described how his then-16-year-old daughter received sick messages from pervs including "unsolicited penis pictures" shortly after she joined Instagram.

Under cross examination by a Meta attorney in the current trial, Béjar admitted that he was caught off guard by the extent of the risks his daughter would face when he allowed her to join Instagram.

"I kept an eye on how distressing it was for her, " Béjar remarked. "She got a good following, at the price of harm." Start your day with all you need to know. Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

Notably, the state AGs' trial is projected to last roughly six weeks. Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri are each projected to testify during the proceedings.

During opening statements on Tuesday, Meta's lawyer Paul Schmidt argued that Zuckerberg and his allies have worked to improve Facebook and Instagram and taken plenty of steps to protect kids online – including parental oversight tools and time limits for social media apply.

In short, mark Zuckerberg's Meta had 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on child safety, is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.