Arturo Bejar, Meta’s former engineering director, accused the company of prioritizing engagement and revenue metrics over child safety during a federal and state trial in Oakland, California, concerning allegations that the company’s platforms harmed children’s mental health. The case began on August 18, 2026, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, and is expected to continue for weeks.
Bejar said Meta used metrics such as meaningful social interactions and the number of daily active users when evaluating and rewarding employees, which, according to his testimony, encouraged a focus on engagement and profitability rather than safety measures. He also alleged that a tool reminding users to take breaks was designed in a way that made it ineffective because it was not enabled by default and its notifications were easy to ignore.
The former employee added that Meta had technology capable of detecting millions of users under the age of 13, but followed what he described as a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and deliberately overlooked the problem because of long-term financial interests. He said CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally participated in many decisions, noting that making any issue a priority within the company could lead to wide-ranging changes within months.
Mutual Accusations in Court
The plaintiffs accuse Meta of building a business model aimed at keeping users engaged with its platforms and collecting their data. They also allege that the company concealed the risks Facebook and Instagram posed to children and interfered with its internal research concerning mental health. In his earlier testimony, Bejar said Meta understood the potential harms its platforms could cause young people, and that safety issues were not prioritized until a later stage. He also said the company’s public reports understated the prevalence of harm among users.
Meta denies deliberately seeking to make children addicted to Facebook and Instagram for profit. Its lawyer, Paul Schmidt, said the company has a record of sharing information about the harms of social media and that enforcing content policies and minimum-age requirements is a complex process. He added that Meta employees are working to improve the platforms’ impact on user well-being.
What Could Change in Practice?
The lawsuit involves 29 states. California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey are relying on their state laws, while the other states are relying on federal law. The “design and addiction” allegations involving the other 25 states will be heard in separate proceedings later. The court is expected to hear from Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head, along with current and former employees and psychology experts.
The jury’s role will be advisory, while Judge Rogers will issue the final decision on Meta’s liability and any penalties or measures. The ruling could affect similar cases filed in other states and could prompt changes in how Facebook and Instagram operate. Meta says losing the case could expose it to fines of up to $1.4 trillion, an amount close to the company’s market value and described as unprecedented in legal history.