Zuckerberg to appear in US court in case of drug addiction among young people

On Wednesday, Facebook CEO and billionaire founder Mark Zuckerberg will appear in a US court for the first time to face questioning about Instagram's impact on the mental health of young users. The trial in the case of youth addiction to social networks continues.

Although Zuckerberg has previously testified on the issue before Congress, the stakes are higher at the jury trial in Los Angeles, California, xrust notes. Meta may have to pay damages if it loses the case, and the verdict could undermine the big tech companies' decades-long legal defense against claims of harm to users.

This lawsuit and others like it are part of a global wave of protests against social media over children's mental health issues.

Australia and Spain have banned social media access for users under 16, and other countries are considering similar restrictions. In the US, the state of Florida has prohibited companies from allowing access to users under 14 years of age. Tech industry trade groups are challenging the law in court.

The case concerns a California resident who, as a child, began using Instagram from Meta and YouTube from Google. She argues that the companies were seeking to make a profit by getting children hooked on their services. Businesses were aware of the harm social media had on their mental health. She says the apps worsened her depression and gave her suicidal thoughts, and she is pushing to hold the companies accountable.

Meta and Google have denied the allegations and pointed to their work to add features to keep users safe. Meta repeatedly cited the National Academy of Sciences' conclusion that research does not show that social media affects children's mental health.

This lawsuit serves as a precedent for similar claims in a larger group of cases against Meta and Alphabet, Google, Snap and TikTok. Families, school districts and states have filed thousands of lawsuits across the U.S. accusing the companies of fueling a mental health crisis among young people.

Zuckerberg is expected to be questioned about Meta's internal research and discussions about how Instagram use affects young users.

Xrust Zuckerberg will appear in a US court in a case of drug addiction among young people