Los Angeles, California — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared in court Wednesday during a pivotal trial addressing claims of tech addiction, where he firmly denied orchestrating strategies to boost user engagement or targeting children under the age of 13.
Zuckerberg was subjected to intense cross-examination from attorney Mark Lanier, which at times seemed to frustrate him as he shifted in his seat and raised his eyebrows in disbelief. The proceedings revealed Zuckerberg’s 2015 email, in which he aimed for a 12 percent increase in user engagement over three years, sparking questions about the company’s internal goals. When pressed on whether he recognized that such an email could indicate official company objectives, he responded that he had shifted away from focusing on “time spent” as a measure of success, favoring broader milestones meant to provide value to users instead.
Despite acknowledging authorship of that email, Zuckerberg insisted it reflected personal brainstorming rather than formal directives. “I don’t know how it got distilled into company goals,” he asserted, holding to the belief that he no longer governs Meta in such a manner. He also defended the company’s stance on user age restrictions, reiterating that Instagram prohibits accounts from users under 13, and criticized the expectation that young children would understand the platform’s terms of service.
However, internal documents presented in court disclosed that approximately four million Meta users were underage in 2018, representing around 30 percent of all U.S. children aged 10 to 12. Lanier pointedly questioned how a nine-year-old could be expected to grasp the fine print of the platform’s policies. Facebook’s commitment to removing underage users was met with skepticism, with Zuckerberg conceding that the company isn’t perfect in enforcing those rules.
As he took the stand, Zuckerberg embraced his reputation for awkwardness, injecting humor into the proceedings regarding his media training. He also interjected that he aims to donate nearly all of his considerable fortune—estimated at more than $200 billion—to charity. Zuckerberg characterized the role of social media as ultimately beneficial, stating that the goal of any “reasonable company” is to support users rather than exploit their vulnerabilities.
This case is among more than a thousand lawsuits alleging social media’s harms, specifically regarding its addictive potential for younger audiences. The trial centers on the experiences of a 20-year-old woman known as K.G.M., who claims prolonged exposure to platforms like Instagram and YouTube led her to face severe mental health challenges, including anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Her case is the first in a series of test trials against tech giants accused of designing addictive features aimed at minors.
Zuckerberg’s appearances follow testimony from Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, who suggested that excessive social media use could be described as “problematic,” but should not be considered a clinical addiction. Contrasting this viewpoint, Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist specializing in addiction, argued that social media’s design—incorporating features like autoplay and endless scrolling—creates a risk of clinical addiction, particularly for younger users with less impulse control.
Lembke emphasized that social media provides “limitless access” with insufficient age verification and parental controls, challenging the merits of existing safeguards. This trial has seen numerous parents whose children allegedly suffered from social media addiction attending, as they seek accountability from the platforms they claim enabled their children’s distress.
The trial has sparked ongoing conversations regarding technology’s impact on young people, with studies indicating that nearly half of teens perceive social media negatively. Health experts warn of the rising trends in mental health crises, asserting the vulnerability of adolescents to social pressures, which could be exacerbated by exposure to social media.
As the trial unfolds, the urgent discourse surrounding tech regulations, user safety, and corporate accountability continues to gain momentum.