Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced intense questioning in a high-profile court case examining the potential addictive and harmful effects of the company’s social media platforms, particularly on teenagers and children. The trial, held in LA Superior Court, revealed Meta’s internal research suggesting that parental supervision may not be sufficient to curb teens’ excessive social media use, especially following traumatic experiences.
During the trial, lawyers for the plaintiff probed Zuckerberg about Instagram employees’ objectives to boost daily app engagement. Contradicting his previous statement to Congress, a 2015 email chain presented as evidence indicated Zuckerberg’s push to extend users’ app time by 12%. Additionally, discussions arose regarding the use of beauty filters on Instagram, with Meta’s experts recommending bans for teen users.
Zuckerberg defended the challenges of age verification, proposing that smartphone manufacturers like Apple could play a more supportive role in this area. Notably, Apple recently introduced age assurance tools for developers, aligning with the growing regulatory scrutiny of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram across various U.S. states.
Throughout his testimony, Zuckerberg maintained Meta’s official stances, at times refuting the plaintiff’s attorneys for allegedly distorting document contents or context.
Source: TechCrunch