Zuckerberg Defends Meta in Landmark Social Media Addiction Tria

Published: 21 February 2026, The English Chronicle Desk, The English Chronicle Online

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has taken the stand in a high‑profile trial in Los Angeles to defend his company against allegations that its social media platforms were designed to be addictive — particularly to children and teenagers. The case, widely seen as a potential turning point in how courts treat technology’s impact on youth, pits Meta and co‑defendant Google’s YouTube against claims that they knew about harm caused by prolonged use but did too little to prevent it.

The lawsuit, filed by a woman identified as KGM, alleges that years of compulsive engagement with Instagram and other apps contributed to mental health struggles, including depression and suicidal thoughts. During his testimony, Zuckerberg pushed back strongly against assertions that Meta intentionally developed addictive features such as infinite scrolling, notifications and recommendation algorithms — tools critics say keep users glued to screens longer than they intend.

Zuckerberg acknowledged social media usage patterns can sometimes be problematic but maintained that Meta’s purpose has always been to build “useful services” that naturally attract people’s attention rather than to engineer addiction for profit. He told jurors that while internal documents discussing engagement goals exist, those conversations reflected business benchmarking rather than plans to exploit users’ psychology.

A major focus of cross‑examination concerned age verification and safety measures for under‑13 users. Zuckerberg reiterated that Instagram’s rules prohibit children under 13, but said enforcing age limits is challenging because some users lie about their age when signing up. He also defended efforts Meta has made to improve detection and removal of accounts it identifies as underage.

The trial’s scope goes beyond addiction labels to broader concerns over youth mental health and the balance social platforms must strike between engagement and wellbeing. Meta’s legal team has argued that the plaintiff’s mental health issues pre‑dated her social media use and that many external factors contribute to such outcomes.

This civil case is one of the first of its kind to put a tech CEO in the hot seat before a jury over alleged harm linked to social media design — setting it apart from traditional content liability disputes. Lawyers for the plaintiff have likened the legal strategy to the historic lawsuits against tobacco companies, drawing parallels between addictive products and modern app features that encourage prolonged use.

As the trial continues, legal experts say its outcome could influence thousands of related cases and prompt lawmakers to rethink regulatory approaches to tech platforms. The English Chronicle will continue to provide verified updates as more testimony unfolds and the case progresses.

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