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2h ago

Zuckerberg Testifies in LA Bellwether Trial Over Youth Social Media Addiction

The bellwether case tests whether product design, rather than user content, can establish liability for youth mental‑health harms.

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Overview

  • On the stand, Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged past internal goals to increase time spent and confirmed that some under‑13 users bypass Instagram’s age policy by lying during sign‑up.
  • The plaintiff, identified as K.G.M., alleges early use of Instagram and YouTube led to addiction, depression and suicidal thoughts, pointing to features like infinite scroll, recommendation algorithms and appearance filters.
  • Meta and Google dispute causation, citing safety tools and recent changes, while Meta’s attorney argues the plaintiff’s struggles stem from other factors; Instagram head Adam Mosseri previously rejected the notion of “clinical” social‑media addiction.
  • TikTok and Snap have settled out of the case, leaving Meta and YouTube as defendants in a jury trial that could shape outcomes for more than 1,500 related lawsuits and influence arguments around Section 230.
  • Zuckerberg was pressed on internal documents, including estimates of under‑13 users and prior engagement targets, as parallel scrutiny continues in New Mexico’s separate state case over child safety on Meta’s platforms.