US EditionMark Zuckerberg denies that Instagram targets kids at landmark social media trial
Mark Zuckerberg denies Instagram targets or addicts children amid lawsuits claiming the platform harms youth mental health, with 1,600+ plaintiffs seeking accountability.
- On Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in Los Angeles, denying the company seeks to make Instagram addictive to younger users and stating it does not aim to maximize monthly user time.
- The consolidated case includes more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts, who allege Instagram and other platforms designed addictive features to profit from children.
- During questioning, plaintiffs' attorney cited a Meta review estimating more than 4 million under-13 users in 2015, while Zuckerberg said age-verification came later and some users lie about their age.
- A Meta spokesperson declined to comment, while Bergman said `For the first time, a Meta CEO will have to sit before a jury, under oath, and explain why the company released a product its own safety teams warned were addictive and harmful to children`.
- The litigation continues with related trials scheduled this year as Meta faces a separate New Mexico trial beginning next week; Neal Mohan, YouTube chief executive, was removed from the witness list, Lanier said he has no plans to call him.
52 Articles
52 Articles
Zuckerberg denies at LA trial that 'Instagram targets kids' amid addiction claims
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, on Wednesday, February 19, 2026, denied recent court trials in Los Angeles that Instagram is targeting kids.Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly said during a landmark...
In a US trial about the addictive potential of social media, Facebook founder Zuckerberg rejected the accusation that his platforms targeted children.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admits to shortcomings in Instagram's age verification system during a US trial. A 20-year-old woman is suing his company.
der Standard AT
der Standard DEEven in Tech Group's mother country, doubts about social networks are growing. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was therefore on trial in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed by a 20-year-old woman who claims that early social media use made her addicted to technology and worsened her depression and suicidal thoughts. Zuckerberg changes Facebook and Instagram rules and allows labeling gay or trans people as “mentally ill.” Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta, defended Instagram's age verification practices on Wednesday during his testimony in a landmark social media addiction trial in a Los…
Meta's boss, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, appeared before the Los Angeles court on Wednesday 18 February against a young Californian who accused Meta and Youtube of knowingly designing their platforms in order to make her dependent on social networks, which they refute.
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