Watch live as Mark Zuckerberg is questioned about Meta’s impact on the mental health of young users at a social media addiction trial on Wednesday (18 February).
Zuckerberg will speak in front of grieving parents who say their children were harmed or died as a result of social media.
It is the first such instance that he will answer questions in front of a jury. He has previously testified on the subject before Congress, where he apologised to grieving families whose lives were devastated by social media-related tragedies.
The Meta CEO will face a thorough questioning from lawyers representing a 20-year-old woman, identified as KGM. She alleges that her early engagement with social media led to addiction, which exacerbated her depression and led to suicidal thoughts.
Instagram’s parent company Meta, and Google’s YouTube both face claims that their platforms are intentionally addictive and harm children. Both TikTok and Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., were originally named in the lawsuit, however they settled for undisclosed amounts.
If the companies lose, they may face damages and could be forced to change the design of their platforms going forward.
Meta and Google have denied the allegations and pointed to their work to add features that keep users safe.
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”.
The trial, which is expected to last between six to eight weeks, began last week. It is one of a slew of trials beginning this year seeking to hold social media companies responsible for harming children’s mental well-being.
