A former Meta engineering director spoke in court on Wednesday.

This is a big trial.

He said Instagram did not ask about children under 13.

He said the company did not tell about them either.

His name is Arturo Béjar.

He said Meta cared more about money than safety.

Meta looked at how often people used its products.

It looked at how long people used them.

That could hurt people's mental health.

He said, "If you step away from the product, they are not going to make any money."

The trial is in a court in Oakland, California.

Meta fights against four states.

They are California, Colorado, Kentucky, and New Jersey.

These states are part of a bigger group.

29 states sued Meta in 2023.

They sued about child safety and privacy.

The lawsuit says Meta made features that addict children.

It says Meta took data from kids under 13.

The parents did not say yes.

Meta says this is not true.

Béjar worked at Facebook from 2009 to 2015.

He came back as a contractor from 2019 to 2021.

He said worker reviews and pay were about user numbers.

They were about time on products.

He said, "In that context, safety was an afterthought."

He found many kids under 13 on Instagram.

He said it was "common knowledge" at the company.

Béjar talked about features for adults.

He said they are "inherently unsafe for teenagers."

One feature plays videos by itself.

Another shows popularity counts.

He said a safety tool called "Take a Break" was "designed to fail."

It started in 2021.

Users must turn it on.

They can close it easily.

He said, "A safety tool has to be on by default."

The states want changes to user experiences.

They want money.

The money could be billions of dollars.