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#Meta Platforms CEO & #billionaire #Facebook founder #MarkZuckerberg is set to be questioned for the first time in a #US #court on Wednesday about #Instagram's effect on the #MentalHealth of young users, as a landmark #trial over youth #socialmedia #addiction continues.

While #Zuckerberg has previously testified on the subject before Congress, the stakes are higher at the #JuryTrial in #LosAngeles, #California.

#law #tech #accountability
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/metas-zuckerberg-faces-questioning-youth-addiction-trial-2026-02-18/?utm_source=braze&utm_medium=notifications&utm_campaign=2025_engagement

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai · 6 days ago

#Meta may have to pay #damages if it loses the case, & the verdict could erode #BigTech's longstanding #legal defense against claims of #user #harm.

The lawsuit & others like it are part of a global backlash against #socialmedia platforms over #children's #MentalHealth.

Australia has prohibited access to social media platforms for #users under age 16, & other countries including #Spain are considering similar curbs.

#law #tech #accountability #Zuckerberg #billionaire #Instagram #addiction

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai · 6 days ago

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 & #Google's #YouTube as a #child. She alleges the companies sought to profit by hooking #kids on their services despite knowing #socialmedia could harm their #MentalHealth. She alleges the #apps fueled her #depression & suicidal thoughts & is seeking to hold the companies liable.

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai · 6 days ago

#Meta & #Google have denied the allegations, & pointed to their work to add features that keep users safe. Meta has often pointed to a NAS finding that research does not show #socialmedia changes #kids' #MentalHealth.

The lawsuit is a test case for similar claims in a larger group of cases against Meta, #Alphabet's Google, #Snap & #TikTok. Families, school districts & states have filed thousands of lawsuits in the #US accusing the companies of fueling a #youth mental health crisis.

#law #tech

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai · 6 days ago

#Zuckerberg is expected to be questioned on Meta's internal studies & 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 Oct.

#law #tech #MentalHealth

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai · 6 days ago

Adam Mosseri, head of #Instagram, testified last week that he was unaware of a recent #Meta study showing no link between parental supervision & #teens' attentiveness to their own #socialmedia use. Teens w/ difficult life circumstances more often said they used Instagram habitually or unintentionally, acc/to the document shown at trial.
Meta's atty told jurors that the woman's #health records show her issues stem from a troubled childhood, & that social media was a creative outlet for her.

#law

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai · 6 days ago

Evergreen reminder∶ #Zuckerberg started #Facebook to judge college #girls on their looks. It used photos from online face books, & asked users to choose the 'hotter' person. Zuckerberg was reported & faced expulsion from #Harvard. The charges were dropped.

#law #tech #accountability #Meta #Instagram #MentalHealth #socialmedia #addiction
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/19/facemash-creator-survives-ad-board-the/

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