Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in court on Wednesday in a significant trial focused on whether the company’s social media platforms are addictive and harmful to young users. The trial at L.A. Superior Court has disclosed that Meta’s own studies found parental supervision ineffective in curbing teens’ excessive social media use, with teens experiencing trauma being particularly prone to overuse.
Plaintiff lawyers, representing a 20-year-old identified by initials KGM, challenged Zuckerberg regarding Instagram employees’ objectives to boost daily app engagement. Despite Zuckerberg’s previous Congressional testimony denying such goals, evidence from a 2015 email revealed his push for a 12% increase in user time on the app.
The examination also addressed Instagram’s beauty filters, which Meta experts suggested banning for teens, and internal figures on sub-13 age users. A 2018 Meta document stated that in 2015, 4 million children under 13 were on Instagram, including about 30% of U.S. children aged 10-12.
Zuckerberg argued that age verification was challenging and suggested smartphone manufacturers like Apple could assist more effectively. Apple has recently introduced age-checking tools for developers amid growing regulatory demands for apps like Instagram and Facebook.
Courtroom reports observed that Zuckerberg adhered closely to corporate narratives during his testimony, at times accusing the plaintiff’s lawyers of misrepresenting evidence.
KGM, also known as Kaley, has filed suits against four social media companies, citing their platforms’ addictive and harmful nature. TikTok and Snap settled before the trial; YouTube and Meta are contending the accusations.
Meta’s defense attributed Kaley’s mental health issues to her troubled childhood rather than social media use. The trial’s outcome may spur significant tech reforms, new legislation, regulations, and possibly victim settlements should the tech firms be found liable.