Zuckerberg faces trial over social media's impact on children

2026-02-19 08:20:00, Tech CNA

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before a jury for the first time on Wednesday in a lawsuit that could have far-reaching consequences for the social media industry. He faced accusations that the company's platforms, particularly Instagram, harm the mental health of children and adolescents.

The lawsuit was filed by Kaley, a 20-year-old who claims that Instagram and YouTube are intentionally designed to be addictive. She says she started using Instagram at the age of 9 and that her experience on the platform led to anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia.

Internal documents in focus

During the hearing, the plaintiff's lawyer presented internal company documents that suggested that increasing time spent on the platform was a key goal. A 2022 document predicted that the average time spent on Instagram would increase from 40 minutes to 46 minutes by 2026.

Zuckerberg rejected the claim that the company aims to create addiction, stating that the focus is on building products with "long-term value" and not artificially increasing engagement.

Beauty filters and social pressure

Another point of contention was beauty filters, which allow users to alter their appearance in photos and videos. The lawsuit claims that these tools can negatively impact teenagers' self-perception.

Zuckerberg said the company decided not to actively recommend the filters but to allow them in the name of freedom of expression, stressing that banning them would be a paternalistic approach.

The issue of minimum age

Instagram requires users to be at least 13 years old to create an account. However, internal documents filed in court suggested that millions of users may have been under that age.

The platform only started asking for users' dates of birth in 2019 and then made it mandatory for everyone in 2021. Zuckerberg argued that accurate age verification remains a challenge for the entire industry, but added that Meta uses artificial intelligence to detect teenage accounts.

Possible consequences

The jury's decision could affect hundreds of other lawsuits filed by families who claim their children have been harmed by social media use.

Meta denies the allegations and says it has invested significantly in security measures for new users. The trial is expected to determine whether the company was aware of the potential risks and whether it did enough to prevent them./ CNA