During a recent court session on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, refuted claims made by a lawyer suggesting that he provided misleading information to Congress regarding the design of Meta’s social media platforms. This occurred as a significant trial concerning youth social media addiction unfolded.
Zuckerberg faced questioning about his statements made during a 2024 congressional hearing, where he stated that the company did not instruct its teams to focus on increasing time spent on its applications. Mark Lanier, representing a woman who alleges that Meta negatively impacted her mental health during her childhood, presented emails from 2014 and 2015 where Zuckerberg outlined objectives to enhance app usage by double-digit percentages.
Zuckerberg clarified that while Meta previously had objectives related to user engagement time, the company has since altered its strategy. He vehemently disagreed with any insinuation that his testimony was inaccurate.
This court appearance marked the first time the billionaire Facebook founder testified in court regarding Instagram’s impact on the mental well-being of young users. The stakes are higher in this Los Angeles jury trial as Meta could face financial penalties if it loses, potentially weakening Big Tech’s typical legal defense against allegations of user harm.
The lawsuit, along with similar ones, is part of a global movement challenging social media platforms for their impact on children’s mental health. Australia has already banned social media access for users under 16, while countries like Spain are contemplating similar restrictions. In the U.S., Florida has implemented laws prohibiting companies from catering to users under 14, a move being contested by tech industry trade groups.
The case revolves around a California woman who began using Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube as a child. She asserts that these companies aimed to profit by getting children hooked on their services despite being aware of the potential harm to mental health. Allegedly, the apps exacerbated her depression and suicidal thoughts, and she seeks accountability from the companies.
Meta and Google have refuted the allegations and highlighted their efforts to introduce safety features for users. Meta often references a National Academies of Sciences report stating that there is no conclusive evidence linking social media to negative impacts on kids’ mental health.
This lawsuit acts as a precedent for a cluster of similar cases against Meta, Google, Snap, and TikTok. Numerous families, school districts, and states have filed thousands of lawsuits in the U.S., accusing these companies of contributing to a youth mental health crisis.
Investigative reports over the years have revealed internal Meta documents indicating the company’s awareness of potential harms. For instance, Meta researchers found that teenagers who felt negatively about their bodies due to Instagram were exposed to more content related to eating disorders. Testimonies in the trial also disclosed that teens facing challenging circumstances tended to use Instagram habitually or unintentionally.
Meta’s defense team highlighted the woman’s health records, suggesting that her issues stem from a troubled childhood and that social media served as a creative outlet for her.