Mark Zuckerberg faces jury in landmark trial over alleged harm to teen users

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in a Los Angeles courtroom on Feb. 18 as part of a federal bellwether trial examining whether Instagram and Facebook were designed in ways that harmed minors.

The case is one of thousands consolidated in multidistrict litigation accusing Meta of concealing internal research about teen mental health risks. Jurors are being asked to determine whether the company’s product design decisions make it legally liable for depression, self-harm and suicide-related harms alleged by young users.

The Los Angeles proceeding is one of three bellwether trials selected to test legal claims that could shape thousands of similar lawsuits nationwide. Plaintiffs representing a now 20-year-old woman identified as KGM allege that early use of Instagram and YouTube led to compulsive use and worsened depression and suicidal thoughts. TikTok and Snap previously settled related claims, leaving Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube as the remaining defendants in this case.

During questioning by plaintiff’s attorney Mark Lanier, the 41-year-old tech executive reaffirmed his view that the existing body of scientific research has not established that social media causes mental health harms. When asked whether addictive products tend to drive greater use, Zuckerberg replied, “I’m not sure what to say to that. I don’t think that applies here.”

He acknowledged that Meta previously tracked goals associated with time spent on its platforms but said the company moved away from those metrics, adding that “if something is valuable, people will use it more because it’s useful to them.”

Meta attorney Paul Schmidt said in opening statements that the company does not dispute the plaintiff’s mental health struggles but disputes that Instagram was a substantial factor, pointing to medical records describing difficulties in her home life.

Plaintiffs in the Meta trial argue that certain platform features can intensify known risk factors already present in online spaces. Researchers have identified cyberbullying, online racial harassment and gender-based harassment on social media platforms as key risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation among Asian American youth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2021 final mortality data, suicide was the leading cause of death for Asian American youth ages 10 to 14 and 20 to 24, and the second leading cause of death for those ages 15 to 19.

A 2022 study published in JMIR Formative Research examined COVID-19-related social media use and exposure to online racial discrimination and found both were associated with worse mental health outcomes among Asian Americans, including anxiety, depression and secondary traumatic stress. The researchers concluded that online racial discrimination during the pandemic functioned as a significant stressor within digital spaces heavily used by Asian American communities.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For a list of international suicide hotlines, click here.