Mark Zuckerberg to testify in watershed trial about impact of social media on children

Zuckerberg to give evidence in trial about addictiveness of Meta’s platforms NewsWorldAmericasMark Zuckerberg to testify in watershed trial about impact of social media on childrenZuckerberg to give evidence in trial about addictiveness of Meta’s platformsKaitlyn Huamani & Barbara OrtutayWednesday 18 February 2026 08:55 GMTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoveropen image in galleryMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreMark Zuckerberg is set to give evidence in a landmark social media trial, which scrutinises whether Meta's platforms intentionally addict and harm children. The Meta CEO is anticipated to face rigorous questioning on Wednesday from lawyers representing a 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM. She alleges that her early engagement with social media led to addiction, worsening her depression and suicidal ideation.Meta Platforms and Google's YouTube are the remaining defendants in the ongoing case, following settlements by TikTok and Snap. While Mr Zuckerberg has previously testified in other legal proceedings and addressed Congress regarding youth safety on Meta's platforms – even apologising to families whose lives were devastated by social media-related tragedies – this particular trial marks the first instance he will answer such questions before a jury. open image in galleryThe on-going case has led to settlements with TikTok and Snap (AFP/Getty)Bereaved parents are once again expected to occupy the limited public seating in the courtroom.The case, along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies would play out. A Meta spokesperson said the company strongly disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit and said they are “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” One of Meta's attorneys, Paul Schmidt, said in his opening statement that the company is not disputing that KGM experienced mental health struggles, but rather that Instagram played a substantial factor in those struggles. He pointed to medical records that showed a turbulent home life, and both he and an attorney representing YouTube argue she turned to their platforms as a coping mechanism or a means of escaping her mental health struggles. open image in galleryAdam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in the same case last week (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Zuckerberg's testimony comes a week after that of Adam Mosseri, the head of Meta's Instagram, who said in the courtroom that he disagrees with the idea that people can be clinically addicted to social media platforms. Mosseri maintained that Instagram works hard to protect young people using the service, and said it's “not good for the company, over the long run, to make decisions that profit for us but are poor for people’s well-being."Much of Mosseri's questioning from the plaintiff's lawyer, Mark Lanier, centered on cosmetic filters on Instagram that changed people’s appearance — a topic that Lanier is sure to revisit with Zuckerberg. He is also expected to face questions about Instagram’s algorithm, the infinite nature of Meta’ feeds and other features the plaintiffs argue are designed to get users hooked. Meta is also facing a separate trial in New Mexico that began last week.More aboutMark ZuckerbergMetaInstagramLos AngelesYouTubeTikTokMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next