Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify in a landmark trial over social media addiction, facing allegations that Instagram was designed to harm young users’ mental health.
LOS ANGELES: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify on Wednesday in a groundbreaking social media addiction trial. Lawyers for a plaintiff allege Instagram and other platforms were deliberately designed to addict young users.
The 41-year-old head of Meta is the most anticipated witness in this California trial. It is the first in a series of cases that could set a legal precedent for thousands of lawsuits filed by American families.
The trial marks the first time the multibillionaire will address platform safety directly before a jury. His controversial reputation has loomed over proceedings since jury selection began.
Twelve jurors in Los Angeles will hear testimony until late March. They must decide if Google-owned YouTube and Meta’s Instagram bear responsibility for the mental health problems of plaintiff Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old heavy social media user.
Kaley G.M. started using YouTube at age six and Instagram at 11. The trial will determine if the companies designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use among young people.
This case aims to establish a standard for resolving thousands of lawsuits. They blame social media for fueling an epidemic of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicide.
The proceedings focus solely on app design, algorithms and personalisation features. US law grants platforms near-complete immunity for user-generated content.
TikTok and Snapchat, also named in the complaint, reached confidential settlements before trial. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri was the first Silicon Valley executive to testify on February 11.
Mosseri told jurors he rejected the concept of social media addiction. He preferred Meta’s terminology of “problematic use” instead.
“I’m sure I’ve said that I was addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late one night, but I don’t think that’s the same thing as clinical addiction,” Mosseri said.
Mothers whose teenage children died by suicide struggled to contain anger in the gallery. They had camped overnight in the rain outside the courthouse to secure seats.
A day earlier, plaintiff’s lawyers called psychiatrist Anna Lembke to testify. She explained how social media can act as a “gateway drug” for young people.
When confronted with internal emails, Mosseri defended Zuckerberg’s 2020 decision to allow cosmetic surgery filters on Instagram. Other executives had strongly objected, warning of harmful effects on young girls.
Some executives pushed to reinstate the filters to avoid losing market share to TikTok. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan was scheduled to testify, but plaintiff lawyers said they would call another YouTube executive instead.
The Los Angeles proceedings run parallel to a similar nationwide case before a federal judge in Oakland. That case could result in another trial in 2026.
Meta also faces trial this month in New Mexico. Prosecutors there accuse the company of prioritising profits over protecting minors from sexual predators.
