Mark Zuckerberg to testify in landmark trial alleging social media harms children
listen to this article
estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article has been generated by AI-based technology. There may be mispronunciations. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results.
Meta CEO and billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will be questioned in a US court for the first time on Wednesday about the impact of Instagram on the mental health of young users, as a landmark trial over youth social media addiction continues.
While Zuckerberg has testified on the topic before Congress before, the stakes are higher in the jury trial in Los Angeles. Meta may have to pay damages if it loses the case, and the ruling could weaken Big Tech’s long-standing legal protections against claims for user damages.
This lawsuit and others like it are part of a global backlash against social media platforms over children’s mental health.
Australia and Spain have banned access to social media platforms for users under 16, and other countries are considering similar restrictions. In the US, Florida bans companies from allowing users under 14 years of age. Tech industry trade groups are challenging the law in court.
Who is the woman behind the case?
The case involves a California woman who started using Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube as a child. They allege that the companies wanted to earn profit by connecting children with their services despite knowing that social media can harm their mental health. She alleged that the apps contributed to her depression and suicidal thoughts and is trying to hold the companies liable.
Meta and Google have denied the allegations, and pointed to their work to add features that keep users safe. Meta has often pointed to the National Academies of Sciences’ conclusion that research does not show that social media changes children’s mental health.
The lawsuit serves as a test case for similar claims in a larger set of cases against Meta, Alphabet’s Google, Snap and TikTok. Families, school districts and states have filed thousands of lawsuits in the US accusing companies of fueling the youth mental health crisis.
What is the security of Meta?
Zuckerberg is expected to discuss Meta’s internal study and how Instagram use affects younger users.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified last week that he was unaware of a recent meta study that showed no link between parental monitoring and the attention teens pay to their own social media use. According to documents shown at the trial, teenagers with difficult life circumstances often said they used Instagram habitually or unconsciously.
Meta’s attorney told jurors at the trial that the woman’s health records showed her problems stemmed from a troubled childhood, and that social media was a creative outlet for her.
