Home / Crime and Justice / Meta CEO Faces Jury in Social Media Addiction Trial
Meta CEO Faces Jury in Social Media Addiction Trial
18 Feb
Summary
- Mark Zuckerberg will testify in a landmark social media addiction trial.
- The trial examines if Instagram and YouTube designs promote addiction.
- Thousands of lawsuits blame social media for youth mental health issues.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, is scheduled to testify in a pivotal trial concerning social media addiction. This California case is the first of many lawsuits alleging that platforms like Instagram and YouTube were deliberately engineered to foster addiction in young users. The 12-person jury will hear evidence until late March to decide if these platforms are responsible for the mental health issues experienced by young individuals, including a 20-year-old plaintiff who has used social media heavily since childhood.
The trial's focus is on app design, algorithms, and personalization features, as US law provides platforms significant immunity for user-generated content. TikTok and Snapchat had previously settled with the plaintiff before the trial commenced. Instagram's chief, Adam Mosseri, testified previously, referring to 'problematic use' rather than addiction. Psychiatrist Anna Lembke also testified, explaining how social media can lead to addictive behaviors in developing brains. YouTube's CEO, Neal Mohan, was expected to testify, but another executive will represent Google's video platform.
