Mark Zuckerberg to answer questions on kids and social media safety in LA trial

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify on Wednesday in a high-profile trial that questions whether Meta’s social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, intentionally addict and harm children following the ban imposed on underage children in France, Australia and Portugal. In the US, too, families whose children have been affected after using these platforms are attending the hearing. They see it as a chance to hold Meta accountable for long-standing concerns about youth safety online.

Although Zuckerberg has previously testified on this topic before Congress, the stakes are higher in this Los Angeles jury trial. If Meta loses, the company could face damages, and the verdict may challenge Big Tech’s long-standing legal protections against user harm claims.

This lawsuit is part of a global backlash over children’s mental health and social media. Australia and Spain have banned users under 16 from joining social media platforms, and other countries are considering similar rules. In the US, Florida has prohibited companies from allowing users under 14, though tech industry groups are challenging the law in court.

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The case involves a California woman who began using Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube as a child. She claims these companies deliberately sought to profit by keeping kids hooked on their apps, even though they knew social media could harm mental health. She says these apps contributed to her depression and suicidal thoughts, and she is seeking to hold the companies responsible.

Meta and Google deny the allegations, pointing to features they’ve added to keep users safe. Meta has also cited research from the National Academies of Sciences showing no evidence that social media alters kids’ mental health.

This case is considered a test for many similar lawsuits against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok. Across the US, families, schools, and states have filed thousands of claims accusing these companies of worsening a youth mental health crisis.

During the trial, Zuckerberg is expected to face questions about Meta’s internal research and discussions about how Instagram affects younger users. Last week, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, testified that he was unaware of a Meta study showing that parental supervision doesn’t significantly influence teens’ focus while using social media. The study also noted that teens facing difficult life circumstances often use Instagram habitually or unintentionally.

Meta’s lawyers argue that the woman’s mental health struggles stem from a troubled childhood and that social media actually served as a creative outlet for her.