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Mark Zuckerberg rejected claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive during a deposition shown at a New Mexico trial examining the impact of social media on children.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has rejected claims that Facebook and Instagram were intentionally designed to be addictive, as a landmark social media trial examining the impact of platforms on young users continues in the United States.
Jurors in New Mexico this week watched a recorded deposition in which Zuckerberg was questioned about internal research and user feedback related to the effects of social media on teenagers.
The lawsuit, brought by New Mexico’s attorney general, accuses Meta of violating consumer protection laws by failing to disclose what it allegedly knew about the risks of social media addiction and child sexual exploitation on its platforms.
Prosecutors challenge Meta’s internal research
During the deposition, prosecutors presented Zuckerberg with internal communications and user messages dating back to 2008 that raised concerns about problematic or addictive use of the platforms.
“Over the past 15 years, users of your products have repeatedly told your company and you personally that they find the products to be addictive,” prosecutor Previn Warren said during questioning.
Zuckerberg pushed back on that characterization.
“I think people sometimes use that word colloquially,” he said. “That’s not what we’re trying to do with the products, and it’s not how I think they work.”
He added that Meta’s goal is to understand how people use its services so the company can improve them.
Focus on engagement and time spent
During the questioning, Zuckerberg acknowledged that Meta once tracked how long users — including teenagers — spent on its platforms as a key measure of engagement.
“Yes, I think we focused on time spent as one of the major engagement goals,” he said.
He added that the company began shifting away from that metric around 2017 and started focusing on other indicators of user experience.
Debate over Instagram features
The deposition also examined Zuckerberg’s role in a decision to lift a temporary Instagram ban on cosmetic filters that alter users’ appearances.
Critics had argued that such filters could encourage unhealthy beauty standards or promote interest in plastic surgery.
Zuckerberg said he was cautious about restricting tools people use to express themselves.
“I care a lot about not cracking down on the ways that people can express themselves,” he said, adding that he did not find anecdotal examples linking the filters to harm convincing enough to justify the restriction.
A case that could shape thousands of lawsuits
The New Mexico trial is one of several high-profile cases examining the effects of social media on children.
Meta prohibits children under the age of 13 from using its platforms, though younger users sometimes bypass those restrictions.
The outcome of the New Mexico case, along with a separate trial in Los Angeles, could influence thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies.
Zuckerberg has previously faced questioning in Congress about youth safety on Meta’s platforms. During testimony in 2024, he apologized to families who believe social media contributed to tragedies involving their children, though he stopped short of accepting direct responsibility.
Source: Associated Press
