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Mark Zuckerberg will testify before a jury in Los Angeles in a landmark case accusing Instagram and YouTube of designing addictive platforms that harmed young users — a trial that could shape thousands of similar lawsuits.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify in person Wednesday in Los Angeles in what lawyers describe as a landmark trial over whether social media platforms were designed to hook young users.
The case marks the first time Zuckerberg will appear before a jury under oath to answer questions about the safety of apps used by billions of people worldwide.
Twelve jurors in a California civil court must decide whether Instagram (Meta) and YouTube (Google) bear partial responsibility for the mental health struggles of a 20-year-old plaintiff, identified as Kaley GM, who began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at 11 before later joining TikTok and Snapchat.
At the heart of the case is a broader question: Did tech giants knowingly design their platforms — through algorithms, personalization tools and interface features — to encourage excessive use among minors, potentially contributing to depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other harms?
The Los Angeles trial is the first of three similar cases scheduled for this year and is seen as a test for thousands of pending lawsuits alleging that social media companies fueled a youth mental health crisis.
“A moment families have been waiting for”
Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, said Zuckerberg’s testimony is “a moment that families across the country have been waiting for.”
“Internal documents show that Meta understood the dangers of its platforms for young people,” Bergman said, adding that the company “went ahead anyway.”
Meta has strongly rejected the allegations, saying it is confident the evidence will demonstrate its “long-standing commitment to supporting youth,” including parental controls and safety tools.
Under US law, platforms are largely shielded from liability for user-generated content. As a result, the trial focuses not on specific posts or videos, but on the design of the platforms themselves — including recommendation algorithms and engagement systems.
Addiction or “problematic use”?
Earlier in the trial, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified that he does not believe social media constitutes a clinical addiction, instead referring to “problematic use,” Meta’s internal terminology.
“I’m sure I must have said that I was addicted to a Netflix series,” Mosseri told the court, “but I don’t think that’s the same as a clinical addiction.”
Plaintiff attorneys called psychiatrist Anna Lembke to argue that social media can function as a gateway to addictive behaviors, particularly in adolescents whose prefrontal cortex is still developing.
TikTok and Snapchat, also named in related complaints, reached confidential settlements with the plaintiff before trial.
Parallel proceedings are underway in federal court in Oakland, California, which could lead to a broader national case in 2026. Separately, Meta is facing a lawsuit in New Mexico alleging it prioritized profits over protecting minors from sexual exploitation.
The Los Angeles jury is expected to deliberate by the end of March.
Source: AFP
