Meta's Zuckerberg faces questioning at youth addiction trial

CEO of Meta Platforms Mark Zuckerberg is to testify on how Instagram effects young people's metal health at the social media addiction trial. Advertisement World Meta's Zuckerberg faces questioning at youth addiction trial CEO of Meta Platforms Mark Zuckerberg is to testify on how Instagram effects young people's metal health at the social media addiction trial. Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks to the media as he arrives outside court, in Los Angeles, California, US, Feb 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake) 19 Feb 2026 02:49AM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST LOS ANGELES: Meta Platforms CEO and billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to be questioned for the first time in a US court on Wednesday (Feb 18) about Instagram's effect on the mental health of young users, as a landmark trial over youth social media addiction continues.While Zuckerberg has previously testified on the subject before Congress, the stakes are higher at the jury trial in Los Angeles, California. Meta may have to pay damages if it loses the case, and the verdict could erode Big Tech's longstanding legal defence against claims of user harm.The lawsuit and others like it are part of a global backlash against social media platforms over children's mental health.Australia has prohibited access to social media platforms for users under age 16, and other countries including Spain are considering similar curbs. In the US, Florida has prohibited companies from allowing users under age 14. Tech industry trade groups are challenging the law in court.The case involves a California woman who started using Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube as a child. She alleges the companies sought to profit by hooking kids on their services despite knowing social media could harm their mental health. She alleges the apps fuelled her depression and suicidal thoughts and is seeking to hold the companies liable.Meta and Google have denied the allegations, and pointed to their work to add features that keep users safe. Meta has often pointed to a National Academies of Sciences finding that research does not show social media changes kids' mental health.The lawsuit serves as a test case for similar claims in a larger group of cases against Meta, Alphabet's Google, Snap and TikTok. Families, school districts and states have filed thousands of lawsuits in the US accusing the companies of fuelling a youth mental health crisis. Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives outside court, in Los Angeles, California, US, Feb 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake) Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives outside court, in Los Angeles, California, US, Feb 18, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake) Zuckerberg is expected to be questioned on Meta's internal studies and discussions of how Instagram use affects younger users.Over the years, investigative reporting has unearthed internal Meta documents showing the company was aware of potential harm. Meta researchers found that teens who report that Instagram regularly made them feel bad about their bodies saw significantly more “eating disorder adjacent content” than those who did not, Reuters reported in October.Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, testified last week that he was unaware of a recent Meta study showing no link between parental supervision and teens' attentiveness to their own social media use. Teens with difficult life circumstances more often said they used Instagram habitually or unintentionally, according to the document shown at trial.Meta's lawyer told jurors at the trial that the woman's health records show her issues stem from a troubled childhood, and that social media was a creative outlet for her. Related: Instagram CEO denies addiction claims in landmark US trial YouTube rejects addiction claims in landmark social media trial Source: Reuters/fs Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Mark Zuckerberg Social Media Los Angeles Meta Platforms Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST