Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg testified on Wednesday in a trial that seeks to determine whether the company’s social media apps are addictive and harmful to teenagers and children, as proceedings in Los Angeles Superior Court continue to examine internal research and past company decisions.
Court Examines Meta’s Internal Research
The trial has already brought out evidence that Meta’s own research found parental supervision could not prevent teens from compulsive social media use. The same research indicated that teenagers who had experienced traumatic life events were more likely to overuse social media.
The case was brought by a 20-year-old plaintiff who goes by the initials KGM and also uses her first name, Kaley. She has sued four social media companies over what she alleges is the harmful and addictive nature of their platforms.
Questions About Usage Targets
Lawyers for the plaintiff questioned Zuckerberg about whether Instagram employees had goals to increase daily app usage. According to the Associated Press, Zuckerberg had said during an earlier congressional hearing that this was not the case. During the trial, however, a 2015 email chain presented as evidence showed Zuckerberg pushing to increase users’ time spent in the app by 12%.
The questioning focused on whether internal priorities matched public statements about how Meta measured success on Instagram.
Filters And Underage Users
Zuckerberg was also asked about Instagram’s use of beauty filters. Meta’s own experts had said such filters should be banned for teens, according to testimony and documents discussed in court.
Lawyers also raised internal documents that estimated how many children under 13 were using Instagram. One Meta document from 2018 stated that as of 2015, about 4 million children under 13 had Instagram accounts. The same document said this included roughly 30% of children aged 10 to 12 in the United States.
Zuckerberg responded by saying that age verification is difficult and argued that smartphone makers such as Apple could play a larger role in this area. Apple has recently introduced age assurance tools for developers, following increased pressure to regulate apps like Facebook and Instagram in the United States, where many states have created or are developing social media laws.
Testimony And Company Position
Reporters in the courtroom said Zuckerberg largely repeated the company’s established positions during his testimony. At times, he said the plaintiff’s lawyers were taking documents out of context or mischaracterizing what the records showed.
Meta has not disputed that the documents exist but has challenged how they are being interpreted in the case.
Other Companies And The Broader Case
Kaley’s lawsuit originally named four social media companies. TikTok and Snap reached settlements before the trial began. YouTube and Meta are defending their platforms in court.
During the proceedings, Meta’s lawyers have argued that Kaley’s mental health issues stem from her unhappy childhood rather than from the social media apps themselves.
The case is being decided by a jury. The outcome could influence future changes in how large technology companies operate, affect potential new laws and regulations, and determine whether settlements are reached with plaintiffs if the companies are found at fault.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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