Mark Zuckerberg to Take the Stand in Landmark Social Media Case

Mark Zuckerberg will testify in a landmark social media trial that will investigate whether Meta’s platforms intentionally addict and harm children.

On Wednesday, Meta’s CEO is scheduled to face stern questions from attorneys representing a now-20-year-old woman known only by the initials KGM, who alleges her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and aggravated despair and suicidal thoughts. The two remaining defendants in the dispute are Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube, after TikTok and Snap settled.

Mark Zuckerberg trials and answered questions from Congress

Zuckerberg has testified in previous trials and answered questions from Congress about youth safety on Meta’s platforms. At that session, he apologised to families whose lives had been upended by tragedies they believed were caused by social media. This trial, however, is the first time Zuckerberg will face identical questions in front of a jury. Again, bereaved parents are likely to take up the limited number of public courtroom seats.

The case, along with two others, has been designated as a bellwether trial, which means the outcome might influence how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media corporations are resolved.

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A spokeswoman for Meta stated

A spokeswoman for Meta stated that the company strongly disagrees with the charges in the complaint and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.”

In his opening statement, one of Meta’s attorneys, Paul Schmidt, stated that the firm does not deny that KGM had mental health issues, but rather that Instagram had a significant role in his challenges. He cited medical records that revealed a difficult family situation, and he and a counsel for YouTube claim she used their platforms as a coping strategy or a way to escape her mental health issues.

Zuckerberg’s evidence comes a week after Adam Mosser

Zuckerberg’s evidence comes a week after Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Meta’s Instagram, stated in court that he disagrees with the notion that people may be clinically addicted to social media platforms. Mosseri reiterated that Instagram works hard to protect young people who use the service and stated that it is “not good for the company, over the long run, to make decisions that profit us but are poor for people’s well-being.”

Much of Mosseri’s questioning from the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mark Lanier, focused on Instagram beauty filters that modified people’s appearances, a topic Lanier is sure to bring up with Zuckerberg. He is also anticipated to face questions concerning Instagram’s algorithm, the limitless nature of Meta feeds, and other aspects that the plaintiffs claim are designed to keep users engaged.

Meta is also involved in a separate trial in New Mexico, which started last week.