Whistleblower at Meta trial: Zuckerberg misled public about child safety

Meta has been taking a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to child safety on its social media platforms, a whistleblower who testified Tuesday in a landmark trial against the company said. His testimony is set to continue today.

Arturo Behar, a former Meta security engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products were causing to children, including algorithm recommendations that offered children sexually predatory content, as well as violent and explicit videos. He said he had repeatedly raised the issue with various Facebook and Instagram executives, but they had done little to address it, the Guardian reports.

Behar testified that his job often involved briefing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about problems with the company's products. He estimated he had spoken to Zuckerberg at least 100 times. In one email Behar sent to Zuckerberg in 2021, he warned him about the constant reporting of harmful content on Facebook. Behar said he sent the email after Zuckerberg publicly stated that the company did not put profit before safety.

"I thought he created a false and misleading image of Facebook's commitment to young people," Behar testified.

Behar was the first witness called to testify in the federal trial, which began with opening statements on Tuesday. The lawsuit against Meta was brought by attorneys general in 29 U.S. states, alleging that the company intentionally designed products that were addictive, attracted young people, and harmed them. Prosecutors also allege that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal and state laws.

"I heard from many of you during jury selection that the health and well-being of children is a shared responsibility," said Megan O'Neill, California's deputy attorney general, in her opening statement. "The target did not do its part."

Other witnesses expected to be called include Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Moseri, as well as other executives and experts in child mental health and addiction. The trial, which is being held in Oakland, California, is expected to last at least six weeks.

Meta denies all allegations in the lawsuit. Paul Schmidt, a lawyer for Meta, said in his opening statement that there is “no dispute” that people can have problems using social media, but that Meta “has designed tools to try to address that problem.” He added that the company does not allow children under 13 to create accounts on its social media sites and that it has terminated more than a million accounts of users under that age.

The Guardian reports that this extensive legal action could have far-reaching consequences for the Met. If the company is found liable, the damages could reach as much as $200 billion, an amount roughly equal to its annual revenue for 2025.

The plaintiffs are also seeking to force Meta to change the design of its products to make them safer for children, which could have long-term consequences for the company's business model.