--- title: "Meta Stock Rises despite Ex-Engineer Saying Child Safety Was an \"Afterthought\"" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296399440.md" description: "Meta stock rose 0.4% despite testimony from ex-engineer Arturo Béjar, who claimed child safety was an 'afterthought' and that the company prioritized engagement for ad revenue. The federal trial involves allegations that Meta designed products to encourage excessive use among children and collected data without proper consent. While states seek damages and policy changes, Meta denies the claims, asserting its heavy investment in teen safety. Analysts maintain a Strong Buy consensus with an average price target of $752.18." datetime: "2026-08-19T20:33:48.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296399440.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296399440.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296399440.md) --- # Meta Stock Rises despite Ex-Engineer Saying Child Safety Was an "Afterthought" Social media giant Meta Platforms (META) rose 0.4% on Wednesday after falling 4.5% the previous day, as investors followed new testimony in its child-safety trial. Former Meta engineering director Arturo Béjar told jurors that Instagram took a "don't ask, don't tell" approach toward children under 13. He also claimed that Meta focused heavily on user engagement because more time spent on Facebook and Instagram meant more advertising revenue. As a result, safety became an "afterthought." ### Summer Sale - Claim 70% Off TipRanks 200% short exposure to META with METQ Unsurprisingly, Meta denies the allegations, and the federal trial in Oakland is expected to last about six weeks. California and three other states are involved in this first case and are part of a group of 29 states that sued Meta in 2023. The states accuse the company of designing products that encouraged excessive use among children. They also claim that Meta collected data from users under 13 without proper parental consent. Béjar's testimony matters because he worked inside the company. He was at Facebook from 2009 to 2015 and returned as a contractor from 2019 through 2021. He later testified before Congress in 2023 about Instagram and teen safety. According to the _Associated Press_, Béjar told jurors that employee reviews for teams that worked on consumer products focused heavily on user numbers and time spent inside Meta's apps. This raises the question of whether Meta knowingly allowed product design choices to increase engagement even when younger users could be harmed. ## **Meta's Safety Features Are Now Under the Microscope** Béjar also pointed to features such as video autoplay and popularity counters as examples of designs that can affect teenagers differently from adults. He also criticized Meta's "Take a Break" feature because users have to activate it themselves and can easily dismiss it. His argument is that an effective safety feature should work automatically rather than depend on teenagers choosing to turn it on. Age verification is another major issue. Meta requires users to be at least 13, yet Béjar testified that his research found tens of thousands of younger children on Instagram. He said that Meta had sophisticated systems for finding fake accounts while lacking clear goals for identifying users suspected of being under 13. As a result, the states are seeking financial damages and changes to how Facebook and Instagram work. Meta, on the other hand, says the trial will show that it has invested heavily in teen safety and has worked with parents to improve protections. ## **What Is the Price Target for Meta?** Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on META stock based on 38 Buys, five Holds, and zero Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average META price target of $752.18 per share implies 37.8% upside potential. 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