Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in landmark social media addiction trial

By Eli Tan  In a crowded Los Angeles court- room on Wednesday, a lawyer drew a picture of a frowning stick figure and projected it on a screen in front of Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive. The figure represented a vul- nerable child. 

 

The plaintiff’s lawyer asked Zuckerberg, 41, clad in a navy blue suit and gray tie, whether a reasonable company should help, ignore or prey on the child. “I think a reasonable com- pany should try to help a person that uses its services,” Zuckerberg said on the stand in California Superior Court of Los Angeles. 

 

Zuckerberg was testifying in a landmark tech addiction case against Meta and YouTube that is the first in a flood of lawsuits filed by minors, school districts and state attorneys general claiming that social media platforms, much like cigarettes or slot machines at casinos, are addictive and harmful. 

 

 

The tech companies have denied the claims. Zuckerberg’s appearance in court was highly anticipated. Par- ents, as well as tech policy and child safety groups have accused the firm of hooking young people on its apps and causing mental health issues that have led to anxiety, depression, eating dis- orders and self-harm. 

 

Those concerns have mounted globally. In 2024, the US Surgeon General called for adding warning labels to social media explaining the platforms were associated with mental health harms for ado- lescents. In December, Australia barred children under 16 from using social media. Malaysia, Spain and Denmark are consider- ing similar rules. 

 

Zuckerberg has faced particu- lar ire. He has been called before Congress for questioning about child safety on multiple occa- sions. In one 2024 hearing, he was forced to stand and apologize to parents who said social media contributed to their children’s deaths. In internal documents that surfaced in some of the law- suits, Zuckerberg and other Meta leaders repeatedly played down their platforms’ risks to young people, while rejecting employee pleas to bolster youth guardrails and hire additional staff. 

 

A 20-year-old Californian, identified as KGM, sued YouTube, TikTok, Snap and Meta in 2023, accusing the companies of engin- eering their apps to create compul- sive use.KGM settled with Snap and TikTok for undisclosed terms. KGM’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, said during his opening statement this month that Instagram and YouTube’s apps were built like “digital casinos” that profited off addictive behavior.

 

He pointed to internal documents from Meta and Google, which owns You- Tube, comparing their technology to gambling, tobacco and drug use. 

 

In a 2015 memo, Zuckerberg encouraged executives to priorit- ize increasing the time that teen- agers spend on Meta’s apps. 

 

Meta said in its opening state- ment that KGM’s mental health issues were caused by familial abuse and turmoil. 

 

The firm pres- ented medical records to show that social media addiction was not a focus of her therapy sessions. Adam Mosseri, Insta- gram’s chief executive, testified last week that the app was not “clinically addictive.” 

 

Still, he added, social media could cause harm if used too much. YouTube said in its opening statement that it was not a social media company and that its fea- tures were not designed to be addictive. 

 

On Wednesday, Lanier grilled Zuckerberg about the firm’s history with child safety and his prior appearances in front of Congress. Meta’s communica- tions staff worked to curate Zuck- erberg’s public image, making his social media posts seem more “human” than “robotic,” accord- ing to internal documents shown by Lanier. 

 

In 2017, one document showed that staff members advised Zuckerberg to demon- strate more empathy when speak- ing about child safety issues. “I’m actually well known to be sort of bad at this,” Zuckerberg said of past testimonies and media appearances. 

 

Another internal document showed that in 2015, roughly a third of all 10- to 12-year-olds in the US, or four million children, used Instagram. Children under the age of 13 were not allowed to create accounts, Lanier said. Instagram is not a harmful product, it is a valuable service, Zuckerberg said. As a result, “people will want to use it more,” he added. 

 

He kept his answers short. At times he challenged Lanier, saying past statements were being taken out of context. Zuckerberg also questioned the relevancy of decade-old documents.