Mark Zuckerberg to testify in US court over social media risks to teenagers

New Delhi: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been ordered to appear in person at a landmark trial in the United States examining the impact of social media on young people, as per the news report. 

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl rejected Meta Platforms’ argument that an in-person appearance was unnecessary.The order also applies to Snap chief executive Evan Spiegel, as well as Adam Mosseri, who leads Meta-owned Instagram. 

The trial, scheduled to begin in January, is among the first to proceed from a wave of litigation alleging that social media companies design apps to be addictive and enticing to young people while remaining aware of mental health and other risks.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment. Snap, represented by law firm Kirkland & Ellis, said the decision did not "bear at all" on the truth of the claims and added that it looked forward to the opportunity to explain why they believe the "allegations against Snapchat are wrong factually and as a matter of law".

Hundreds of claims brought by parents and school districts were consolidated into one case before the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2022.

The plaintiffs contend that the companies have ineffective parental controls and weak safety features, and argue that alerts for "likes" and other responses keep young people engaged on the platforms.

Meta and Snap have contested the allegations, which mirror claims in a separate federal case. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, and YouTube, owned by Alphabet, are also named in the suits.

The tech companies have argued that federal law, passed in the 1990s, protects them from liability for content posted by users. However, Judge Kuhl ruled that the companies must still face claims of negligence and personal injury related to the design of the apps.

Lawyers representing young people and their parents contend that the companies refrained from implementing changes due to concerns about the impact on their business. Meta had argued that Zuckerberg and Mosseri had already submitted to questioning as part of the case, and that appearing in person represented "a substantial burden" and would "interfere with business".

Judge Kuhl wrote that hearing directly from the executives was essential. "The testimony of a CEO is uniquely relevant," she said, noting that their "knowledge of harms and failure to take available steps to avoid such harms" could help establish negligence.

Beasley Allen, one of the firms leading the litigation against the social media companies, welcomed the ruling. "We are eager for trial to force these companies and their executives to answer for the harms they've caused to countless children," it said in a statement.

Social media companies have faced increasing legal and political scrutiny over concerns about the effects of their platforms on young people’s mental health. When testifying before Congress last year, Zuckerberg said the company took the issues seriously and defended its existing protections, while distancing the firm from responsibility. 

"The existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health," he said.

In response to such concerns, Instagram introduced "teen accounts" last year and updated the system earlier this month with a default setting to screen content based on a framework similar to movie ratings. Parents are also able to choose stricter controls.