http:\/\/www.bozemandailychronicle.com offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.\n <\/p>\n
OAKLAND, California (AP) \u2014 A former engineering director at Meta who has testified before Congress about child safety on Instagram told jurors Wednesday at a landmark trial<\/a> that the company took a \u201cdon\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell\u201d approach on kids under 13 on its platforms.<\/p>\n During his second day of testimony, Arturo B\u00e9jar<\/a> said Meta consistently prioritized profits over safety in designing its products, focusing on how often and for how long people used them, even if it was detrimental to their mental well-being.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The trial that began Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, pits Meta against the states of California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey and is expected to last about six weeks. The four states were among 29 that sued the tech giant<\/a> in 2023 over child safety and privacy \u2014 the other 25 will go to trial later. The company also faces lawsuits<\/a> in state courts, including one underway in Tennessee.<\/p>\n The lawsuit accuses Meta of contributing to the youth mental health crisis<\/a> by knowingly and deliberately designing features that addict children<\/a> to its platforms and hide these harms from the public. It also argues that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents\u2019 consent, in violation of federal law.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attitude in particular on Instagram was \u2018Don\u2019t ask, don\u2019t tell,\u2019\u201d B\u00e9jar said in response to a question about his perception of the company\u2019s attitude towards users under 13.<\/p>\n The company has rejected the claims and said evidence at the trial will show its commitment to safety.<\/p>\n \u201cYou will hear over the course of this case a lot of important issues, issues like teen mental health, issues like social media, issues like how teens use social media,\u201d Meta lawyer Paul Schmidt said Tuesday. \u201cThose are important issues, and they\u2019re issues where Meta believes that it has a responsibility. It has a responsibility to act on its own. It has a responsibility to try to work with teens and parents in partnership to try to address those questions.\u201d<\/p>\n Plaintiffs’ witness says safety was an \u2018afterthought\u2019<\/p>\n