Former engineer testifies Mark Zuckerberg prioritized growth over child safety in federal Meta trial

Executive priorities and internal warnings

Arturo Bejar took the witness stand for a second day on 19 August 2026 in the federal trial against Meta Platforms in Oakland, California. Bejar worked as an engineering director at Facebook between 2009 and 2015, returning from 2019 to 2021 as an independent contractor consulting on teen well-being on Instagram. He testified that chief executive Mark Zuckerberg maintained a corporate culture where child safety took second place behind user engagement and company growth. Bejar told the eight-member jury that meaningful product adjustments at the company required direct executive instructions.

If Mark makes something a priority, mountains move in months.

Bejar also disputed statements made by Zuckerberg in October 2021 following Senate testimony from whistleblower Frances Haugen. On 5 October 2021, Bejar sent an email to Zuckerberg and other executives stating that roughly half of Instagram users experienced negative interactions, but he received no response. He told the courtroom that Meta's public statements claiming constant safety research were untrue.

You just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids.

Safety tools and product architecture

During his testimony, Bejar described Meta's youth safety features as systems built to fail because they relied almost entirely on voluntary action by teenagers. He compared tools like quiet mode and take-a-break reminders to requiring drivers to manually activate an airbag before every car ride. Users who attempted to limit notifications from friends had to navigate more than fifty buttons across ten different settings screens. Bejar stated that Meta evaluated platform health by tracking policy violations rather than measuring the actual harm experienced by young users. He argued that preventing harm required structural changes to recommendation algorithms, notification systems, and infinite scroll mechanisms rather than relying solely on content moderation.

Claims from state prosecutors

The federal lawsuit is led by California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey alongside 25 other states. The coalition alleges that Meta knowingly designed Facebook and Instagram to hook minor users, contributing to youth depression, anxiety, and suicide. Prosecutors also allege that Meta violated federal law by collecting and utilizing personal data from children under age 13 without parental consent. Outside the courthouse, families of deceased youths gathered with photographs of children who died by suicide. California Attorney General Rob Bonta addressed the evidence assembled against the company.

We have proof that Meta knows. Meta knows that Instagram is harmful to a significant portion of teenagers, particularly teenage girls.

Defense arguments and trial schedule

Meta denied all allegations, asserting that its platform features are designed to protect teenagers rather than harm them. Defense attorney Brian Stekloff questioned Bejar about setting up an Instagram account for his 16-year-old daughter in 2021, which she used to discuss cars. Meta attorney Paul Schmidt argued to the jury that academic research does not establish a causal link between adolescent social media use and worsening mental health. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected Meta's motion to exclude Bejar's testimony before opening statements began. The trial is scheduled to run for six weeks in Oakland, with Zuckerberg expected to testify.