During a court appearance on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg refuted a lawyer’s claim that he had provided misleading information to Congress regarding the design of the company’s social media platforms amid a significant trial concerning youth social media addiction.
Zuckerberg faced questions about his statements to Congress during a 2024 hearing, where he stated that the company did not instruct its teams to focus on maximizing time spent on its applications.
Mark Lanier, representing a woman who accuses Meta of negatively impacting her mental health during her childhood, presented emails from 2014 and 2015 in which Zuckerberg outlined objectives to boost app usage by double-digit percentages. Zuckerberg explained that while Meta previously had targets related to user app engagement time, the company has since altered its approach.
Zuckerberg disputed any suggestion that his testimony was inaccurate, stating, “If you are trying to imply that my testimony was not truthful, I strongly disagree with that.”
This court appearance marked the first time the billionaire Facebook founder testified in court regarding Instagram’s impact on the mental health of young users. While Zuckerberg previously testified on this topic before Congress, the stakes are higher in the Los Angeles jury trial. Meta could face financial penalties if it loses the case, potentially weakening Big Tech’s traditional legal defense against allegations of user harm.
The legal action and similar cases reflect a global trend of backlash against social media platforms concerning children’s mental well-being. Various countries, including Australia and Spain, are contemplating restrictions on social media usage by minors. In the U.S., Florida has banned companies from allowing users under 14, a law that tech industry groups are challenging in court.
The lawsuit involves a California woman who claims that her mental health was impacted by using Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube when she was young. She alleges that the companies prioritized profit by getting kids hooked on their services despite knowing the potential harm of social media on mental health. The woman asserts that the apps worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts, seeking accountability from the companies.
Both Meta and Google have denied the accusations, highlighting their efforts to introduce safety features for users. Meta often cites a National Academies of Sciences report indicating that research does not definitively link social media use to changes in children’s mental health.
This lawsuit is a pivotal case among numerous similar claims against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok. Families, school districts, and states have filed thousands of lawsuits in the U.S., alleging that these companies have contributed to a youth mental health crisis.
Investigative reporting over the years has revealed internal Meta documents showing the company’s awareness of potential harms associated with social media. For instance, Meta researchers found a correlation between Instagram’s impact on teens’ body image and exposure to eating disorder-related content. During the trial, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, acknowledged a Meta study indicating that teens facing challenges often use Instagram habitually or unintentionally.
Meta’s legal team argued in court that the woman’s health records suggest her issues stem from a troubled childhood and that social media served as a creative outlet for her.
