Zuckerberg To Testify In Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial

The Chief Executive Officer of Meta Platforms, Mark Zuckerberg, is set to testify on Wednesday in a major social media addiction trial in California, as legal scrutiny intensifies over the design of digital platforms used by young people.

The case will examine whether Meta Platforms and Google deliberately structured their platforms to encourage compulsive use, allegedly contributing to mental health challenges among young users.

Zuckerberg is expected to appear before a jury in Los Angeles, marking the first time he will directly address the safety of his company’s platforms in a courtroom setting.

The proceedings are seen as a test case that could influence thousands of lawsuits filed by families across the United States.

The trial centres on the experience of a 20-year-old plaintiff who began using YouTube and Instagram at a young age.

Jurors will determine whether platform design features, including algorithms and personalization tools, contributed to mental health problems.

Legal arguments focus on product design rather than user-generated content, which is largely protected from liability under United States law.

Two other platforms named in the lawsuit — TikTok and Snapchat — reached confidential settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began.

Earlier testimony was given by Adam Mosseri, who rejected the idea of social media addiction, describing user behaviour instead as “problematic use.”

He defended certain platform features, including cosmetic filters, despite internal concerns about their possible effects on young users.

I’m sure I’ve said that I was addicted to a Netflix show when I binged it really late on night, but I don’t think that’s the same thing as clinical addiction, ” Mosseri said

A psychiatrist, Anna Lembke, also testified, explaining how repeated exposure to digital rewards may influence behaviour in developing brains.

The case is one of several legal challenges targeting major technology companies over youth wellbeing.

Parallel proceedings are underway before a federal judge in Oakland, while another separate trial involving Meta Platforms is ongoing in New Mexico over allegations relating to the protection of minors online.

The outcome of the California trial could help define how courts handle a growing wave of litigation over the role of social media in young people’s mental health.