Mark Zuckerberg Grilled in Social Media Addiction Trial That Could Cost Platforms Billions
Mark Zuckerberg Grilled in Social Media Addiction Trial That Could Cost Platforms Billions
Madison E. GoldbergSat, February 21, 2026 at 8:04 PM UTC
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Mark Zuckerberg on Feb. 18
Wally Skalij/Getty
As he testified in a landmark lawsuit filed against his company, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied that Instagram's algorithm is addictive for children and teens
The Facebook co-founder addressed social media's impact on mental health as he testified in a landmark trial that could cost platforms like Instagram billions
The trial comes after a young woman, identified in court documents only as "Kaley," sued Meta and YouTube alleging that she became addicted to the platforms, causing mental health issues
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was grilled about social media addiction and its impacts on mental health in children and teens as he testified in a landmark trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Zuckerberg appeared in court to testify in a hearing on a lawsuit filed by a young woman identified only as "Kaley" or K.G.M. in court documents.
In the suit — the first of multiple similar complaints — Meta is accused of intentionally integrating features that were designed to make young people become addicted to apps like Instagram starting in childhood, according to CNN.
During his testimony on Wednesday, Zuckerberg, 41, insisted that the Instagram algorithm is not intentionally made to be addictive for young users, according to NBC News.
"I’m focused on building a community that is sustainable,” he said. “If you do something that’s not good for people, maybe they’ll spend more time [on Instagram] short term, but if they’re not happy with it, they’re not going to use it over time. I’m not trying to maximize the amount of time people spend every month."
The Facebook co-founder shut down further questions from the plaintiff's attorney, Mark Lanier, about the app's allegedly addictive qualities.
“I’m not sure what to say to that,” Zuckerberg responded, per NBC News. “I don’t think that applies here.”
Lanier also asked Zuckerberg if companies should “prey upon” those who come from difficult backgrounds or are "less fortunate in educational opportunities," according to CNN.
"I think a reasonable company should try to help the people who use its services," Zuckerberg said.
YouTube is also named in the suit but maintains that it is not a social media company.
If the suit is successful, these major tech companies could be forced to pay billions in damages and make significant changes to how their platforms operate.
More broadly, behemoths like Meta and YouTube have insisted they are shielded in court by a provision of federal law that protects them from legal liability related to the content created by their users.
The suits they now face, however, mark a change in strategy by their critics who liken their conduct to the predation of the so-called Big Tobacco companies in the last century. The plaintiffs are also reportedly citing internal documents and past statements from company officials about how their platforms affect users.
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In essence, these plaintiffs claim, social media platforms knowingly designed themselves to reinforce addictive and harmful behavior by their users — an accusation the defendants flatly reject as lacking evidence and science, unlike the comparison with nicotine.
The suits, which will continue this year, are expected to take years to play out.
Snap and TikTok were originally listed as defendants in the lawsuit in L.A. Both companies reached settlements in January.
As he questioned Zuckerberg this week, Lanier said his 20-year-old client began using Instagram when she was 9 years old, before the app began asking users for their birth year in December 2019 to ensure people under 13 weren't using it.
Mark Zuckerberg (center) outside the Los Angeles Superior Court on Feb. 18
Apu GOMES / AFP via Getty
Zuckerberg said there was "some concern around privacy" before implementation of the 2019 birthdate rule, but said he thinks the company found the right policy, CNN reported. (Lanier and Meta did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on the suit.)
The parents of children who they claim were severely harmed or died as a result of social media use also traveled from across the country to attend the trial, according to CNN.
Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook and has more than 3.5 billion users, has repeatedly sparked criticism for its alleged contribution to the deaths of countless children and teenagers globally, with other lawsuits tied to child sexual exploitation on the platform, according to The New York Times.
On Feb. 11, Meta issued a statement addressing the allegations in the suit, which alleges that the app was not the cause of Kaley's "mental health struggles."
"The question for the jury in Los Angeles is whether Instagram was a substantial factor in the plaintiff’s mental health struggles," the statement reads. "The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media.”
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A Meta spokesperson told CNN the company "strongly disagree[s]” with Kaley's allegations and "are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people."
YouTube also denied the claims in the lawsuit, per CNN.
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
