Ex-Meta employee claims it had a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy on child safety issues

Former Meta safety researcher Arturo Béjar has accused the company of ignoring child safety concerns to protect its business, telling a California federal court that Meta had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it came to underage users. Arturo Béjar made the claims while testifying in a major trial brought by 29 US states, which accuse Meta of harming children and teenagers through Facebook and Instagram. He also criticised Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, saying the executive did not do enough to address safety concerns despite having broad control over the company.Former Meta employee accuses company of ignoring risksArturo Béjar worked on Meta's safety team from 2009 to 2015 and later returned as a consultant between 2019 and 2021. He told jurors that he had raised safety issues with Zuckerberg at least 100 times.“You just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids,” Béjar said during his testimony.